Morocco Fortifies Border as Mass Crossing Into Spain Looms

Morocco Fortifies Border as Mass Crossing Into Spain Looms

Morocco has stepped up security in its northern regions as authorities brace for a possible mass attempt to cross into Spain’s Ceuta enclave on August 15.

Security checkpoints have been reinforced around Fnideq, while additional personnel have been deployed in the northern cities of Tetouan, Tangier and Nador, according to Anadolu.

Authorities have also erected barbed wire along sections of the border between Fnideq and Ceuta and increased the presence of security and auxiliary forces in the area.

The measures followed warnings from Morocco’s Interior Ministry about anonymous social media messages calling for a mass illegal crossing into the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Rachid El Khalfi said authorities had been monitoring posts and messages circulating online in recent days that encouraged people to organise crossings into the two territories.

El Khalfi described the calls as a serious threat to public safety, warning that they could expose people to danger while exploiting migration concerns to promote acts of incitement punishable under Moroccan law.

The heightened security comes as August 15 approaches, the date cited in the social media calls for the proposed mass crossing.

Morocco has in recent years strengthened controls along its northern border with Spain as authorities continue efforts to prevent irregular migration into Ceuta and Melilla.