Madrid (Spain), Aug. 14 (LaPresse) — In Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa, security measures have been stepped up ahead of Aug. 15, the date indicated in messages that have been circulating on social media for days as the date for a new mass arrival from Morocco. To prevent a repeat of the scenes witnessed on July 30 and 31—when thousands of people swam across the border—Pedro Sánchez’s government has increased the presence of National Police, Civil Guard, and military personnel. Yesterday, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska announced the deployment of 45 new officers from a special police intervention unit, who will join the 880 already on the ground and the 770 Civil Guard officers—200 more than at the start of the crisis. Morocco has also reinforced the Fnidq border post with hundreds of security officers supported by the military, reports El País, citing videos that have been circulating for nearly a week on social media in the North African country. Images have also been shared showing barbed wire being installed on the fences marking the border on the Moroccan side. On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry in Rabat assured that “all necessary measures have been taken to prevent any attempt at illegal crossing and to intercept anyone attempting to do so.” Morocco has referred to a “continuous surveillance system” at the border crossings in Ceuta and Melilla.
Ceuta Tightens Security Ahead of the Risk of New Mass Arrivals
Madrid (Spain), Aug. 14 (LaPresse) — In Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa, security measures have been stepped up ahead of Aug. 15, the date indicated in messages that have been circulating on social media for days as the date for a new mass arrival from Morocco. To prevent a repeat of the scenes witnessed on July 30 and 31—when thousands of people swam across the border—Pedro Sánchez’s government has increased the presence of National Police, Civil Guard, and military personnel. Yesterday, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska announced the deployment of 45 new officers from a special police intervention unit, who will join the 880 already on the ground and the 770 Civil Guard officers—200 more than at the start of the crisis. Morocco has also reinforced the Fnidq border post with hundreds of security officers supported by the military, reports El País, citing videos that have been circulating for nearly a week on social media in the North African country. Images have also been shared showing barbed wire being installed on the fences marking the border on the Moroccan side. On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry in Rabat assured that “all necessary measures have been taken to prevent any attempt at illegal crossing and to intercept anyone attempting to do so.” Morocco has referred to a “continuous surveillance system” at the border crossings in Ceuta and Melilla.