Ceuta reinforces its border with barriers and prepares to repel illegal migrants with water cannons
As of August 15, Spain and Morocco have stepped up security along the border with the enclave of Ceuta following calls on social media for another mass migrant surge. Additional barriers are being erected along the border, and water cannons are being prepared to prevent a repeat of the events that occurred in July.
Security measures have been significantly stepped up in recent days, especially on the Moroccan side.
In the border town of Fnideq, authorities have installed additional barbed-wire barriers. Boats are patrolling the coastline, water cannons have been deployed along the border, and numerous checkpoints have been set up on access roads.
There are currently 880 officers from the Spanish National Police in Ceuta itself, 270 more than at the end of July. They are supported by about 2,000 military personnel and 700 Civil Guard officers.
Despite calls on social media, a dpa reporter observed a lull this morning at the border crossing in Ceuta.
Authorities in both countries are trying to prevent a repeat of the events at the end of July. At that time, according to various estimates, up to 80,000 migrants stormed into Ceuta.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlasca later emphasized that this was a one-time incident that would not be repeated.
A few days ago, Morocco’s Ministry of the Interior reported the arrest of a group of individuals suspected of inciting new attempts to illegally enter the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. Calls to cross the border en masse on August 15 were circulating on social media.
The ministry assured that it had taken all necessary measures to prevent illegal crossings.
Source: dpa
Europol and the European External Action Service (EEAS) are investigating who is behind a large-scale disinformation campaign regarding the migration situation in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
As a reminder, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reported that most of the migrants who entered the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta illegally have already returned to Morocco. According to her, none of them reached mainland Spain or other European Union countries.
Thousands of people breached the Spanish border in Ceuta: why a new migration crisis began and what Madrid will do.
Spain has reported an exodus of migrants from Ceuta.
