Spain has two enclaves on Morocco’s Mediterranean coast, Ceuta and Melilla. These happen to be the only land borders of the European Union with Africa, which means that these cities are the closest ‘doors’ for desperate African migrants.
And so it happened that yesterday (15) chaos erupted near the fence separating Morocco and Ceuta, as hundreds of young Moroccan men co-ordinated an attempt to illegally cross the border.
Telegraph reported:
“Video footage posted online showed migrants running across a hilltop through the border town of Fnideq, the closest Moroccan town to the Spanish exclave.
Moroccan security officers were forced to form a human barrier to stop the migrants from reaching the barbed wire fence into Spain. Officers then fired bullets into the air in an attempt to disperse the crowd.”
Other migrant groups were also caught while attempting to swim on the beaches of Castillejos and Beliones, where the body of a Moroccan man was found.
Moroccan authorities say that they have stopped the migrants from entering Spain, but they have not divulged how many people were detained.
“The large-scale attempted crossing on Sunday came after authorities confirmed they had arrested at least 60 people last week over a social media campaign that was designed to incite migrants into making a mass crossing.”
In the social media posts that triggered the movement, September 15 was described as ‘The Promised Day’ and the ‘Great Escape’, which led to a heavy police presence in the border region.
“Dozens were detained on suspicion of ‘fabricating and disseminating false information’ on TikTok and Instagram. Messages posted on the platforms urged young Moroccans to gather in Fnideq and then attempt to cross into Ceuta via the El Tarajal border.”
The mass crossing attempt triggered the ‘heaviest security deployment’ ever in Fnideq.
Many migrants are unfazed the by police presence and mass arrests, and vow to cross into the Spanish city by any means.
“’They do this deliberately to scare and keep us from trying again. But it won’t stop us. We’ll keep coming back as many times as needed’, one failed migrant told La Sexta, a Spanish TV channel.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has failed in his bid to achieve cooperation with African countries to curb the increasing number of migrants attempting to cross the border in Ceuta and Melilla, as well as the Canary Islands, where arrivals have also soared.
