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Morocco Detains Migrants Amid New Attempted Surge into Spanish Enclave Ceuta

morning · · thread: Spain and Morocco Agree to Expedite Return of Migrants Following Surge in Ceuta

10 sources across 7 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state

Who reported this

  • Der Spiegel Germany · Centre-left · ~50% staff-owned
  • Deutsche Welle Germany · Centre · Public · German federal public-law corporation
  • Frankfurter Allgemeine Germany · Centre-right · FAZIT-Stiftung (foundation)
  • The Guardian United Kingdom · Centre-left · Scott Trust Limited
  • BBC News United Kingdom · Centre · Public · Licence fee, royal charter
  • ANSA Italy · Centre · Publisher cooperative
  • Dawn Pakistan · Centre-left · Pakistan Herald Publications (Haroon family)
  • Al Jazeera Qatar · Centre-left · State-affiliated · Qatari government funded
  • El Pais Spain · Centre-left · Grupo PRISA
  • Neue Zuercher Zeitung Switzerland · Centre-right · Dispersed shareholders, no controlling stake

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.

Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.

The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.

Moroccan security forces detained over 100 people on Saturday as they attempted to enter the Spanish North African exclave of Ceuta. Reports on the exact number of arrests vary. A source in Morocco's Interior Ministry told Reuters that 111 people were detained, including 109 sub-Saharan African migrants and two Moroccan citizens. Other reports, citing the Moroccan media outlet Le360 and Hespress, state that nearly 300 people were arrested. Moroccan police reportedly used tear gas to disperse groups of migrants gathered on hills approximately three kilometers from the border in the town of Fnideq.

The operation followed warnings from Rabat regarding social media posts calling for a mass crossing on August 15. Security was heavily reinforced on both sides of the border. Morocco deployed thousands of security personnel, including army officers and navy speedboats. Spain increased its presence in Ceuta to over 1,600 police officers and 2,000 soldiers, while also installing a maritime barrier and a metal fence. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska stated that personnel would remain until normality is restored and that irregular migrants without a right to remain would be returned to Morocco.

These events follow a massive surge on July 30, when between 72,000 and 80,000 migrants attempted to enter Ceuta. That event resulted in significant loss of life, with official figures citing 91 to 96 deaths, while non-governmental organizations estimate the toll to be over 100. Approximately 5,000 migrants are reported to still be in Ceuta, with some sheltering in makeshift camps on El Trampolin beach.

Diplomatic tensions rose as Morocco ordered journalists from the Spanish state broadcaster TVE and the news agency EFE to leave Fnideq without explanation. Additionally, the crisis has strained relations within the European Union. Italy suspended the Schengen arrangement of free movement with Spain and introduced border checks, citing the risk of a new wave of arrivals. Spain reacted angrily, asserting that Ceuta is not part of the Schengen area.

How each side framed it

Centre-left
These outlets emphasized the humanitarian conditions of migrants in Ceuta and the broader political tensions within the EU.
Centre
These outlets focused on the routine nature of the security operations and the specific demands for press freedom.
Centre-right
These outlets highlighted the security risks and framed the Moroccan crackdown as a way for Rabat to prove it is a reliable partner to Europe.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.