Fri 31 July 2026:

Moroccan authorities early Friday prevented thousands of irregular migrants from heading toward the border fence with the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.

An Anadolu correspondent said security forces stopped many young people and transported them outside the northern Moroccan city of Fnideq, while continuing to pursue others attempting to reach Ceuta.

The move came after around 1,500-2,000 irregular migrants, most of them Moroccans, reached Ceuta by swimming over the past 10 days, according to Spanish media.

At least 18 people drowned while trying to reach Ceuta. Local officials had appealed to Madrid for help after a recent rise in attempted crossings.

In a statement Thursday evening, Spain’s government said it would send the Armed Forces to help the Civil Guard “to maintain security in the city of Ceuta.”

“The situation is absolute chaos,” said Rachid Sbihi, head of the association that represents Spain’s Civil Guard officers in Ceuta, who police the border.

“It’s not possible to give precise numbers, but there are thousands of migrants crossing,” he said, adding that the border had “totally collapsed.”

On Thursday, Spain’s Interior Ministry said Madrid and Rabat had agreed to strengthen coordination and accelerate the return of migrants who entered Ceuta irregularly.

Moroccan authorities have not commented on the agreement, the mechanisms for returning migrants, or reports of deaths linked to the crossings.

The development also follows a ruling by Spain’s Supreme Court earlier this month that migrants intercepted at sea while attempting to swim into Ceuta or Melilla cannot be returned immediately.

Many migrants from Morocco and other African countries attempt irregular crossings to Europe, driven by economic and social hardships.

🇪🇸 Hundreds of migrants enter Spain’s north African territory Ceuta from Morocco

“We are in a situation of total humanitarian and social emergency,” said the president of the territory, Juan Jesus Vivas, in comments broadcast on Thursday by Spanish television.

“In the past few… pic.twitter.com/jTyE5IypcR

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) July 30, 2026

Over 40,000 migrants from Morocco recently entered Spanish enclave Ceuta

More than 40,000 irregular migrants from Morocco entered Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta in recent days, initial estimates released Friday indicated, according to Spanish daily El Pais.

Security force estimates showed that more than 40,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta from Morocco in recent days, most of them on Thursday.

The report said some sources estimate the number of irregular entries may have neared 50,000, adding that even the lower estimate represents an almost 50% increase in the enclave’s population, which officially stands at more than 80,000.

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Meanwhile, hundreds of migrants who entered Ceuta irregularly in recent hours reportedly began returning to Morocco through the same crossing point they had used to enter.

A police source confirmed to the public broadcaster RTVE on Friday that the death toll linked to the mass arrivals had risen to 19.

Earlier Friday, hundreds of migrants reportedly clashed with security forces at the border fences while attempting to cross from Morocco into Ceuta and Melilla, Spain’s other North African enclave.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the government was mobilizing all available resources in response to the situation.

The government also announced that the armed forces would be deployed to support the Civil Guard in maintaining security across the city.

Spain’s interior ministry accused human trafficking networks of exploiting that to “encourage the flow of undocumented migrants”.

“The armed forces will reinforce the Civil Guard in the exercise of its powers and any others that may be necessary to maintain security in the city of Ceuta,” the ministry said.

In a later statement, the ministry said it was working together with Morocco to ensure the return of all people who crossed into its territory “as soon as possible”.

According to Morocco’s Economic, Social and Environmental Council, around 1.5 million people aged 15-24 were neither employed nor in education or training as of May 2024.

Morocco’s unemployment rate declined to 13% in 2025 from 13.3% a year earlier, with nearly 193,000 jobs created, according to the High Commission for Planning.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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