Morocco is strengthening border security in connection with calls for a new mass attempt to enter Ceuta, scheduled for August 15. The Moroccan authorities have launched a large-scale security operation in the north of the country to counter the calls, which are being actively spread on social networks and call for a new mass crossing into the autonomous city of Ceuta. This comes two weeks after the previous attempt, which involved over 70,000 people.
Some of these messages state: “The border of Ceuta will be open on August 15, on a holiday in Spain.” Videos released in Moroccan digital media show the deployment of security forces supported by the military in the border area, especially in Fnideq (Castillejos). The pro-government portal Le365 reports that the Moroccan Ministry of Internal Affairs has raised the level of readiness to the maximum, deploying unprecedented forces and resources, in particular for ground control, transport monitoring, and the establishment of reinforced physical barriers on the coast.
Strengthening security on the coast
The most noticeable measures are being taken in the sea area near Fnideq, where large-scale technical work has been carried out. According to Le360, whose journalists visited the site, the measures include strengthening the ground metal fence and installing an additional structure directly in the Mediterranean Sea.
This structure consists of reinforced steel piles that extend five to ten meters from the shore. The water infrastructure is also supplemented with barbed wire fences and metal nets designed to physically block migrants’ attempts to bypass the border breakwater by swimming. Additionally, dozens of meters of netting have been installed on the approaches to the checkpoint towards Ceuta.
Source: La Vanguardia
