Moroccan law enforcement forces used tear gas to disperse dozens of people on the hills of the coastal town of Fnideq (Castillejos in Spanish). The situation appears to be under control and no injuries have been reported. Rabat and Madrid, in the last few hours, had closed off the crossing and the borders for fear that the buzz that was bouncing around on social media would turn into another mass arrival
In recent hours, Moroccan security forces have foiled, including with the use of tear gas, the attempt by hundreds of migrants, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, to illegally cross the border with the Spanish city of Ceuta. The migrants were hiding on the outskirts of the border town of Fnideq (Castillejos in Spanish). Moroccan security sources reported that the episode occurred in a mountainous area on the outskirts of Castillejos, south-west of Ceuta. According to the same sources, Moroccan agents dispersed the migrants, who remain in the area. Rabat, in view of the buzz on social media that wanted a new mass entry on August 15th, had deployed security forces to prevent the crossing. Security forces used tear gas to disperse the migrants and helicopters were also used in the operation. So far, around 150 migrants have been intercepted, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa. Over 60 people arrested for aiding illegal immigration through social media. The situation is currently calm and no injuries have been reported.
Meanwhile, it was a quiet morning in the center of Fnideq with a significant police presence. Checkpoints remain active on major roads leading to Fnideq, particularly those coming from Tetouan and Tangier. In the early hours of the morning, surveillance operations intensified near the border with Ceuta, both by land and sea, with the deployment of Royal Moroccan Navy patrol boats and drones. A 17-year-old migrant girl, one of the very few to have reached the city, told the Efe agency that she managed to arrive in Castillejos from Tetouan during the night. According to his account, he traveled on a bus that stopped at three checkpoints along the approximately 35 kilometers that separate the two cities.
The measures were strengthened after the crisis of 30 and 31 July, when around 80 thousand migrants crossed the border, causing 82 deaths on the Spanish side of the border, according to data released by the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Ceuta, which carried out the autopsies on the bodies. There would be at least 141 victims on both sides of the border, according to estimates by humanitarian organizations, including Caminando Fronteras.
"Enough ambiguity. Ceuta is a signal that Europe cannot underestimate, fighting human traffickers must be a priority", said the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi in a video message on "The coherence of the migration policies of this executive - explains Piantedosi - has led to an 80% drop in landings in four years. At the same time we have more than doubled the repatriations, even of dangerous subjects. We have worked with the countries of origin and transit of migrants to block the departures, at the same time with assisted repatriation projects we have offered people the possibility of returning to their homeland with dignity and in safety. Countering illegal immigration also means guaranteeing greater security in our country, it means preventing the threat terrorist infiltration among regular migrants and at the same time prevent the phenomena of crime and degradation in our cities".
"We are not waging any type of 'battle' against Spain, we limit ourselves to carefully checking arrivals, and we have already rejected or stopped people who did not have the right to enter Italy", said Tajani in an interview with Corriere della Sera. "Spain instead of worrying about us, should worry about Morocco: that's where the problems come from, certainly not from our controls", he added. On the position of Germany which has announced that it wants to send back to Italy the illegal immigrants who entered from the Italian borders, Tajani responds: "There is no conflict between us, we have the same objective: yes to regular flows, even substantial ones if necessary, of foreign workers. No to moves like Sanchez's mass amnesty, which are an incentive to get even the desperate or ill-intentioned to arrive here".
