Ceuta remains closed, but the crisis is not over

Spain has bolstered its defenses around the exclave of Ceuta, anticipating a potential new wave of migrants after calls for a mass influx circulated on social media. Approximately 1,600 police officers and 2,000 soldiers are on duty on the Spanish side, with military vehicles and patrol boats deployed along the coast. Morocco has also sealed its border, deploying thousands of security forces to intercept migrants heading towards Spain.

“

Morocco is now trying to prove to Europe that it is a reliable partner.

Despite the heightened security, Spanish authorities reported that no irregular migrants successfully entered Ceuta on Saturday. This contrasts sharply with the situation in late July, when over 70,000 migrants entered the exclave, a discrepancy for which no official explanation has been provided. Spanish media suggests Morocco may have initially sought to pressure Spain but lost control of the situation, and the current security buildup is seen as an attempt to repair its international image.

“

The damage to the North African kingdom's reputation was enormous.

"Morocco is now trying to prove to Europe that it is a reliable partner," said Ignacio Cembrero, a journalist and Morocco expert, noting the "enormous" damage to the North African kingdom's reputation. Two weeks after the initial large-scale border crossing, Ceuta, a city of 83,000, remains under a state of emergency. Thousands of irregular migrants, estimated by the Spanish government to be between 8,000 and 11,000, are still in the city, with regional president Juan Jesús Vivas describing the conditions as "untenable."

“

The conditions are untenable.