Morocco makes 111 arrests after second mass Ceuta migrant crossing attempt falls flat

Moroccan authorities arrested over 100 individuals on Saturday following a failed attempt to cross into Spain's Ceuta enclave, officials reported. The arrests followed calls on social media for another mass border crossing from Morocco. Two dozen of those detained were sub-Saharan Africans, while the remaining were Moroccan nationals, according to a Moroccan interior ministry source cited by Sky News.

The arrests occurred around Fnideq, a Moroccan city near Ceuta's border. Moroccan police used tear gas to disperse the crowd gathered on hills near the border. Spanish authorities deployed more than 500 additional police officers and soldiers to Ceuta, bringing the total security presence to over 1,600. A barrier was also installed in the sea to deter migrants.

This latest attempt follows a mass crossing on July 30, which saw over 72,000 people enter Ceuta, most of whom later returned to Morocco. Spanish interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska stated that around 5,000 migrants still in Ceuta would be returned to Morocco, except in cases of extreme vulnerability. The earlier mass crossing had sparked political tensions over migration and border controls in Europe, leading to disputes between Spain and Italy over Schengen arrangements.