Ceuta: Expected influx of migrants failed to materialize

Madrid. The feared new rush of migrants to the Spanish North African exclave of Ceuta has failed to materialize. Despite calls in online networks to cross the border en masse again, as was the case at the end of July, the situation remained calm at the weekend. Spain and especially Morocco had significantly increased their security precautions in advance.

Around 300 migrants who presumably wanted to go to the exclave were stopped by security forces near the border town of Fnideq, around 20 kilometers away, as the media reported, citing Moroccan authorities. But this number is everyday life. The newspaper “El Mundo” reported accordingly: “The regime of King Mohammed VI has deployed such a massive security presence at the border that fewer Maghrebs have tried to get to Spain than for a long time.”

The relief in Ceuta was great. “The exclave breathed a sigh of relief on Saturday,” reported the newspaper “El Correo” and other Spanish media in unison. An elderly resident said on television: "It's a weight off our hearts. Many here were very afraid that the chaos would repeat itself."

At the end of July, it is estimated that up to 80,000 migrants arrived in Ceuta, the vast majority of whom returned to Morocco shortly afterwards.