Moroccan authorities have intercepted more than 100 migrants attempting to cross into the Spanish North African exclave of Ceuta.
The operation took place on the outskirts of Fnideq, known in Spanish as Castillejos, about 3km from the border, , according to security sources cited by Spanish media and Reuters.
Security sources said 111 people were detained, most of them from sub‑Saharan Africa. Police, some in riot gear, reportedly used tear gas to disperse groups gathered on nearby hills.
The move comes two weeks after a mass influx in which roughly 78,000 migrants arrived in Ceuta by sea within hours. The city’s mayor said 100 people died during that surge and that most of the arrivals were later returned to Morocco.
Authorities had stepped up security following the July crisis and amid social media posts suggesting another mass crossing attempt this weekend.
Morocco’s government earlier warned it was monitoring “messages of unknown origin” calling for a coordinated push on Saturday and pledged to prosecute organisers and participants.
Spanish newspaper El País reported that security at the breakwater entrance was “10 times stronger than the previous day.”
Morocco deployed army officers, navy speedboats and drones to reinforce the border, while Madrid dispatched more than 1,500 security personnel. Spain has also installed a metal fence and floating barrier since last month’s influx.
The crisis has triggered political fallout across Europe. Italy suspended the Schengen free‑movement arrangement with Spain and introduced border checks, backed by Finland and Denmark. The Czech Republic went further, calling for Spain’s membership to be temporarily suspended.
Spain reacted angrily, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stressing that Ceuta is not part of the Schengen area and that migrants had not entered the Spanish mainland.
Madrid urged Italy to drop its controls, but when Rome refused, Spain introduced its own checks citing fears of another influx on 15 August.
On Saturday, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani defended the measures, saying Italy feared “a risk of a new wave of arrivals in Ceuta.”
He added, “We’re not waging any kind of ‘battle’ against Spain; we’re simply carefully controlling arrivals. Instead of worrying about us, Spain should worry about Morocco: that’s where the problems are coming from, certainly not from our controls.”
