Morocco deploys water cannons as hundreds gather at Ceuta border crossing

Moroccan authorities deployed additional security forces and used water cannons Thursday to disperse hundreds of young people and minors gathered near the Bab Ceuta border crossing as they attempted to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.

Video footage circulating online showed security forces using high-pressure water hoses to push back crowds while officers pursued and detained several individuals who allegedly attempted to breach the border.

Sources at the scene told Hespress that significant security reinforcements had been deployed to the area and that authorities were expected to take firm measures to prevent any attempt to storm the border fence separating Fnideq from Ceuta.

The heightened security response follows an unprecedented wave of migration over the past two days, during which thousands of people, including minors, women and children, entered Ceuta by swimming around the Tarajal breakwater, climbing the border fence or crossing through the Tarajal border post.

Meanwhile, hundreds of young people and minors continued walking toward Fnideq and Tetouan along the highway Thursday in hopes of reaching Ceuta after the large-scale crossings recorded in recent days.

The migration surge has also triggered heightened security in Tangier, where large numbers of young people gathered at the city’s main intercity taxi station near the Court of First Instance, seeking transportation to Fnideq.

Hespress observed hundreds of people at the station, many of whom said they had traveled from cities across Morocco to try to reach the Spanish enclave.

According to those interviewed, arrivals came from Fez, Sidi Kacem, Ksar El Kebir, Larache, Taounate, Taza, Rabat, Casablanca, Settat and Kelaat Sraghna, while many others were residents of working-class neighborhoods in Tangier who had reportedly left their jobs to attempt the crossing.

Earlier Thursday, a Moroccan source familiar with the matter told Hespress that Moroccan and Spanish authorities had reached an agreement to return all migrants who had successfully swum to Ceuta in recent days.

The returns are expected to take place under joint coordination between the two countries as they seek to manage the migration surge that has strained authorities on both sides of the border.

Spanish authorities said hundreds of migrants had entered Ceuta by sea in recent days, while local television footage showed swimmers making their way around the border before running into the enclave.