Moroccan security forces arrested nearly 300 migrants who were trying to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta
Kyiv • UNN
Moroccan authorities arrested 294 migrants and 61 Moroccan citizens for aiding attempts to cross the border into Ceuta. This happened after calls on social media for a mass border crossing.
On Sunday, Moroccan state television reported the arrest of hundreds of migrants who had attempted to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta by land and sea, after authorities tightened security measures along the border in connection with calls to organize a new mass border crossing, UNN reports.
Details
Moroccan state broadcaster Medi 1 reported that 294 migrants from sub-Saharan African countries were arrested on Saturday while attempting to enter Ceuta. Authorities also arrested 61 Moroccan nationals accused of facilitating migration attempts, the broadcaster said.
The border-crossing attempts followed a surge in social media posts calling on migrants to reach Ceuta, a Spanish city on Morocco’s northern coast. In response, Moroccan and Spanish authorities increased the presence of security forces and restricted movement in the area.
The latest attempt came two weeks after tens of thousands of potential migrants, driven by poverty and disinformation, headed toward Ceuta, in what became one of the deadliest migration crises in the region. According to official data, at least 90 people died on both sides of the border, while human rights organizations report higher figures.