The situation is unprecedented. Since Wednesday, September 11th, around 4,000 Moroccans have been arrested or turned back, Le Monde reports on September 21th. This includes nearly 150 minors suspected of attempting to illegally enter the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. The Moroccan Interior Ministry provided this information. Meanwhile, messages circulating on social media have called for people to head to the territory on Sunday, September 15.
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Law enforcement managed to stop hundreds of people gathered near the border that day. However, most arrests had already taken place in the nearby towns of M’diq, Tétouan, and Tangiers, according to local activists.
Official reports claim that no one successfully crossed into Spain. However, eyewitnesses say that around 20 individuals from El-Jadida, a town 500 kilometers south, managed to breach the border.
The large number of Moroccan citizens involved is unexpected, as past attempts to breach the border have mostly been led by migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. On May 17th and 18th, 2021, during a diplomatic rift between Rabat and Madrid, an estimated 8,000 to 12,000 Moroccans attempted to cross into Ceuta. This came after Spain provided medical treatment to Brahim Ghali, the leader of the Sahrawi pro-independence movement, a move criticized by Morocco.
Le Monde and agencies
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