21 migrants detained after stones thrown at soldiers and Civil Guard officers in Spain’s Ceuta

Spanish authorities detained 21 Moroccan migrants in Ceuta after a military patrol and Civil Guard officers were allegedly pelted with stones. No injuries were reported.

The incident took place late Saturday near Trampolín beach, where hundreds of migrants have continued sleeping more than a month after roughly 80,000 people entered the Spanish city from Morocco. Police sources said the migrants had been fighting among themselves before throwing stones at the nearby Armed Forces patrol. The Civil Guard intervened and its officers were also targeted.

The Spanish Association of Troops and Mariners condemned the incident and said similar episodes were recurring because the Civil Guard lacked “sufficient authority to carry out its work effectively and decisively.”

The migration crisis began on July 30 and 31 and remains unresolved. Although most of those who entered the city returned voluntarily days later, some migrants remain in Ceuta, prompting residents’ discontent and concerns about insecurity. Thousands are still reported to be living in makeshift shelters or moving through outlying neighbourhoods, with difficult access to food and water.

Estimates of the remaining population vary sharply. The Spanish government puts the number at 5,000, Ceuta authorities estimate nearly 9,000, and some NGOs say 20,000 people remain. Police have placed 1,500 minors under the responsibility of the Ceuta government. The Spanish government also signed an order to take control of the port and authorize tents for more than 1,000 migrants across 16,000 square metres of port land. Residents and business owners opposed the plan and called for the construction work to stop.

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sufficient authority to carry out its work effectively and decisively