Morocco blocks new mass crossing into Ceuta as feared August 15 surge fails to materialise

The call and the response

Social media posts had urged migrants to storm the border on August 15, two weeks after the July 30 surge. Hundreds of people, predominantly from sub-Saharan Africa, gathered on hills behind Fnideq, a coastal town about 3km from the Ceuta border. Moroccan police used tear gas and charges to disperse them, supported by helicopters. Moroccan security sources cited by EFE reported 294 arrests, including 248 sub-Saharan nationals and 46 Moroccans, plus 61 people detained on suspicion of inciting irregular migration through social media. Reuters, cited by the Volkskrant, put the figure at 111 arrests near Fnideq. No injuries were recorded.

Ceuta breathes again

The feared assault never materialised. Saturday and Sunday passed without incidents along Ceuta's border perimeter, the government delegation confirmed. Spanish media described relief among residents. An older woman told television: "A stone falls from our hearts. Many here had great fear that the chaos would repeat itself." A dpa reporter in the city centre described something like "heile Welt", with only occasional police and military patrols visible. Larger groups of young migrants were seen only in the outer districts.

Massive security deployment

Both countries reinforced their borders. Spain deployed 880 National Police officers in Ceuta, 270 more than at the end of July, supported by 714 Guardia Civil agents, 45 anti-riot officers, 20 specialists from the Central Brigade for Immigration and Borders, and approximately 2,000 soldiers. Morocco deployed between 5,000 and 6,000 security forces, erected additional barbed wire and NATO wire barriers, stationed water cannon at the border, and set up checkpoints on access roads. Moroccan police also stopped migrants from boarding buses and trains in Casablanca, Fez and Kenitra.

Journalists expelled

Morocco expelled reporters from the Spanish news agency EFE and the public broadcaster RTVE who were in Fnideq covering the events. Hotel managers informed the journalists that local authorities had ordered them to leave the city and the country immediately, threatening to confiscate their press credentials and equipment. The expulsion followed the journalists' filming of police charges against migrants.

The July 30 crossing and its aftermath

The August 15 call came two weeks after approximately 72,000 people crossed into Ceuta on July 30, most swimming from Fnideq. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told EU interior ministers on August 4 that around 70,000 had already returned to Morocco. Madrid's latest official figure put bodies recovered from the sea at 83, while NGOs estimated the death toll at well over 100. The mass crossing triggered tensions within the EU: Italy suspended Schengen with Spain from August 1, reinstating checks on non-EU nationals at air and sea borders, a measure supported by Finland and Denmark. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez reacted angrily, arguing that Ceuta is not part of Schengen and that nearly all migrants who entered illegally would be returned to Morocco.

Migrants' voices

Among those intercepted on Saturday was 22-year-old Abdessamad Dawad from Sudan, who said conflict and insecurity had driven him toward Europe. Another Sudanese migrant, 25-year-old Chams Edine Yakoub, said he had been searching for better economic prospects.

In Ceuta, in Europe, people are better cared for. There's no work here. There's no money. There's no housing. There is absolutely nothing, I swear.