Thousands of Moroccans cross into Ceuta as Spain deploys troops
About 49,000 people crossed into Ceuta in 24 hours, then most turned back hungry and disappointed as Spain sent troops to the border.
Spain’s Interior Ministry estimated that about 49,000 people crossed into Ceuta in roughly 24 hours, many arriving by land and sea from Morocco and some seen swimming across the frontier. By Friday evening, most had returned to Morocco, hungry and disappointed after a surge that left at least 18 people dead in recent days.
The crossing turned Ceuta into the latest pressure point in Spain-Morocco tensions. Ceuta and Melilla are Spain’s two North African enclaves, and together they form the European Union’s only land border with Africa, a geography that has made both cities recurring flashpoints in migration politics and diplomatic bargaining across the Strait of Gibraltar.
Spain moved quickly to contain the breach. Spain deployed military forces to help restore order and reinforce the border, and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska was due to visit Ceuta as Madrid tried to stabilize the situation. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the episode a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the images emerging from Ceuta.
People who had forced their way across by sea or run through the border gate found themselves stranded in a territory that could not absorb such numbers, then pushed back into Morocco as the flow reversed.
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