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Date Published: 17/09/2024

Hundreds try to cross Spain-Africa land border in desperate illegal attempt

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Security has been bolstered and dozens of arrests made as a coordinated attempt to storm the EU border was shared online

Hundreds try to cross Spain-Africa land border in desperate illegal attempt

Hundreds of migrants attempted to scale the fence in Ceuta (Spain) on Sunday September 15, following an appeal made via social networks, which resulted in the intermittent closure of the Tarajal border.

Ceuta, a Spanish autonomous city located on the North African coast, shares a land border with Morocco and, along with Melilla, is a point where migrants looking to enter the EU frequently make crossing attempts.

According to local newspaper ‘El Faro de Ceuta’, between 300 and 400 people tried to cross into Spanish territory this weekend through the finca Berrocal area, a location frequently used by irregular migrants.

The attempt took place around 11am, prompting the State Security Forces in Ceuta to close the customs office intermittently to manage the situation. With the help of Moroccan police, the mass crossing attempt was halted by around midday.

Numbers of irregular migrants trying to cross to Spain by sea have also increased recently, both on the Mediterranean Route and the Canary Route, and the Red Cross reports that migrants making the crossing are arriving in worse health with greater social vulnerability than ever.

The Ceuta crossing attempt follows the arrest of at least 60 people by Moroccan authorities in the previous week. The individuals arrested were accused of using social media to encourage migrants to participate in a mass illegal border crossing, many of them pinpointing September 15 as the day for taking to the sea in an organised attempt to reach Spain without papers or visas.

The situation had been developing over the weekend, with Spanish Civil Guards activating an ‘alarm’ due to the circulation of videos encouraging people to swim across the Tarajal breakwater, which runs alongside the land border.

According to the Unified Association of Civil Guards (AUGC), reinforcements had already been deployed to Ceuta after the security alert was raised on Friday. Moroccan security forces were also heavily deployed in the nearby town of Fnideq, with numerous checkpoints established on key roads leading to northern Morocco.

This heightened security is reportedly the largest operation of its kind in Fnideq, a town that frequently sees migrants gathering in hopes of making their way to Ceuta or the Spanish mainland.

In 2022, almost two dozen sub-Saharan Africans died during a mass-crossing event that turned violent when 1,500 people clashed with police while trying to enter Spain over the Melilla land border.

Many of those attempting to cross the border this weekend were young Moroccans, although the group includes a smaller number of sub-Saharan Africans. According to local human rights activist Zakaria Razzouki, many migrants reach Fnideq on foot and hide in the surrounding forests to avoid detection by authorities.

Moroccan security forces are actively trying to prevent crossings both at the land border and along the coastline, where migrants sometimes attempt to swim to the Spanish enclave.

In the first eight months of this year alone, Moroccan authorities have reported preventing over 45,000 individuals from illegally entering Europe. This comes amidst continued efforts by both Spanish and Moroccan forces to curb irregular migration to Europe via the North African route. Last month, hundreds of migrants took advantage of thick fog to successfully swim to Ceuta, evading the security forces on both sides of the border.

Irregular migration remains a key issue across the whole of Europe. UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer recently visited Italy to discuss migration policies with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Italy has reduced migrant arrivals significantly, in part by making deals with countries like Tunisia and Libya to send them additional funding for border security.

One of the strategies the UK is exploring involves sending rescued migrants to Albania for asylum processing, a practice currently being used by Italy. Despite marked political differences, both Starmer and Meloni are keen to strengthen cooperation on irregular migration, especially as the UK faces increasing migrant crossings via the English Channel.

The Ceuta crossing attempt came on the same day as eight migrants died trying to cross the Channel from France to England. Their rubber boat, carrying around 60 people, encountered trouble north of Boulogne-sur-mer in the early hours of the morning. This itself follows another tragic incident earlier this month, when 12 migrants, including six children and a pregnant woman, lost their lives in what has been the deadliest accident in the Channel this year.

With irregular migration remaining a pressing challenge for countries on both sides of the Mediterranean, the ongoing efforts to manage and reduce these dangerous crossings are unlikely to end any time soon.

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