DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇩 Indonesia /Crime & Justice

Morocco detains dozens of migrants attempting to enter Spanish exclave Ceuta

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Moroccan police detained dozens of migrants attempting to cross into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta.
  • The operation is a routine measure to prevent irregular migration, according to an anonymous official.
  • The detentions follow a surge of 72,000 migrants into Ceuta two weeks prior, straining relations between Spain and other EU countries.

Moroccan police detained dozens of people on Saturday who were attempting to cross the border into the Spanish North African exclave of Ceuta. This action comes two weeks after approximately 72,000 migrants surged into Ceuta, creating a rift between Spain and other European Union nations.

An official, who requested anonymity, stated that the operation was routine and aimed at preventing irregular migration toward Ceuta. A security source reported that over 100 migrants, primarily from sub-Saharan Africa, were stopped near Fnideq, the Moroccan city opposite Ceuta. However, Morocco's Le360 media outlet reported a higher figure of 294 detentions.

This is a routine operation aimed at preventing attempted irregular migration

— official with knowledge of the interventionExplaining the purpose of the police operation to detain migrants.

Earlier in the week, Rabat had announced it was monitoring social media posts encouraging a mass crossing on August 15, warning that organizers and participants would face prosecution. Eyewitnesses observed a significant Moroccan security presence around Ceuta and Melilla, another Spanish exclave to the east, with numerous checkpoints, coastal patrols, and water cannons deployed at the border.

We'll continue to deploy whatever personnel are necessary to restore normality ‌as soon as possible and prevent events like those of July 30 from happening again

— Fernando Grande-MarlaskaInterior Minister of Spain, on reinforcing security measures.

Journalists from Spain's EFE news agency and RTVE were reportedly ordered to leave Fnideq by a Moroccan Interior Ministry representative without explanation. EFE president Miguel Angel Oliver urged Moroccan authorities to respect journalistic freedom, while RTVE president Jose Pablo Lopez demanded guarantees for his journalists to practice their profession freely. The expulsion of these professionals was described as a grave obstacle to press freedom and the right to information.

Spain had previously increased security in Ceuta after the large influx of migrants, most of whom have since been returned to Morocco. The border surge resulted in approximately 100 deaths. Madrid fortified security by installing a maritime barrier and deploying over 500 additional police officers. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska affirmed that necessary personnel would remain deployed to restore normality and prevent similar events.

The expulsion of our professionals from Castillejos represents a grave obstacle to press freedom and the right to information

— Jose Pablo LopezPresident of RTVE, commenting on journalists being ordered to leave Fnideq.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog