ARCHIVED - Morocco takes steps to prevent mass entry of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta
Reinforced border protection in Ceuta after the border assault by 12,000 migrants in May
Following the incidents at the Spanish-Moroccan border in Ceuta on 17th and 18th May, when some 12,000 African migrants managed to enter the Spanish city illegally and diplomatic relations between the two countries deteriorated as the Moroccan authorities were blamed for not doing enough to prevent the break-in, measures have now been implemented to help prevent a repeat of such mass assaults on the frontier.
Officers of the Moroccan gendarmerie have reinforced barbed wire fences and other barriers on the breakwater at the dividing point between Spanish and Moroccan territory, making it far more difficult to cross on foot and also adding an extra deterrent to those planning to swim into the EU. The new structures are in the area known as “no man’s land” between the two countries and extend to the beach on the shore of the Mediterranean.
The Spanish authorities in Ceuta recently announced their own plans to discourage migrants, removing all the sand from the breakwater at the end of Tarajal beach to stop migrants from entering around the end of the structure at low tide. However, the work is not expected to be completed until October so as not to disrupt the normal use of the beaches over the summer.
The problem of immigration via the two Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on the African coast is a constant one, and although there are significant border fences surrounding both areas assaults on the borders are frequent, often resulting in confrontations with Spanish border guards tasked at preventing illegal entry into Spanish territories.
Image: migrants are detained during the assault on the border in May