More than 100 transported inland after Ceuta border clashes

Moroccan authorities arrested dozens of young people and minors following clashes near the Bab Sebta crossing, an official source told Hespress on Friday.

The source said the final number had not yet been established and could rise in the coming hours, dismissing figures circulated earlier in the day as inaccurate.

Authorities were working to identify those who could face prosecution over alleged vandalism, stone-throwing and attacks targeting security personnel and civilian vehicles, the source added.

Hespress reporters saw more than 100 people transported in two buses to different destinations in central Morocco. The group included minors from Salé, Casablanca and El Jadida, as well as people from Ksar El Kebir, Larache and other areas.

Meanwhile, irregular migrants continued returning voluntarily from Ceuta to Morocco.

Several returnees interviewed near the border alleged that they had been beaten or mistreated by Spanish authorities and local residents. Some said they had been denied food and water for two days, prompting them to return. Hespress could not independently verify their accounts.

Tension persisted around the Tarajal crossing, where groups of minors and young men repeatedly attempted to approach the sea while Moroccan security forces blocked further movement toward Ceuta.

Official sources expected the situation to stabilise gradually but said substantial reinforcements would be deployed before the evening.

The motorway linking Tangier and Fnideq was still seeing new arrivals seeking to reach the border after thousands crossed into Ceuta earlier this week.