Morocco Blocks a Second Mass Crossing into Ceuta After July’s Border Crisis

Security had been reinforced on both sides of the border before the attempted crossing. Morocco deployed hundreds of security personnel, backed by military troops, around Fnideq and the approaches to Ceuta. Spain also increased patrols in the enclave and sent additional police and Civil Guard officers from the mainland.

Reports described groups gathering in the hills near the border and attempting to move toward Ceuta. Police used tear gas to disperse some groups, according to reporting cited by international media.

Authorities also monitored social-media activity. Morocco said it had arrested several people suspected of encouraging mass irregular crossings toward Ceuta and Melilla after anonymous posts circulated online. Those arrests are distinct from the 111 people detained while trying to reach or cross the border; the available reporting does not establish how many of the 111, if any, were accused of organising the online campaign.

The available sources confirm a heavy Moroccan and Spanish security presence, including military personnel. They do not independently establish a precise operational role for drones or helicopters, so those details cannot be stated with confidence.

Why the operation followed the July crisis

The August crackdown came roughly two weeks after an exceptionally large and deadly border surge. Spain’s interior minister said about 72,000 people entered Ceuta between July 30 and 31. Other reports used figures ranging from roughly 60,000 to 80,000, reflecting differences in estimates and reporting dates.

The human cost is also disputed. Spanish official figures cited in early August recorded 75 deaths on the Spanish side and 11 in Morocco, while humanitarian organisations later put the overall death toll at more than 140. The higher figure has not been reconciled with the earlier official counts.

Many people crossed by sea or on foot in a movement that overwhelmed Ceuta’s reception capacity. More than 1,000 unaccompanied minors were reported to remain in the enclave after the surge, creating particular pressure on shelters and local services.

How many people remained in Ceuta?

The answer depended on the date and the authority providing the estimate:

• Spain said approximately 70,000 of the roughly 72,000 arrivals had returned to Morocco, implying that about 2,000 remained at that point.
• Ceuta’s president and mayor, Juan Jesús Vivas, estimated that 3,000 to 5,000 people were still in the enclave, including many minors.

These numbers should not be presented as a single settled count. They were produced at different times and through different counting methods. Later reports also carried higher local estimates, underscoring the uncertainty created by overwhelmed reception centres and the difficulty of tracking people who had crossed or returned.

The effect on Spain–Morocco relations

The July surge quickly became a diplomatic crisis. Spanish and Ceuta officials accused Morocco of at least permitting—and, in some accounts, encouraging—the mass movement, describing it as pressure on Spain and a challenge to its territorial integrity.

Morocco’s cooperation in preventing the August 15 attempt reduced the immediate risk of another mass entry, but it did not erase the mistrust created by the July events. The episode showed how dependent Spain’s control of Ceuta’s external border is on cooperation from Moroccan authorities on the other side.

Why Italy restored checks with Spain

The crisis also moved beyond the Ceuta border. Italy temporarily reintroduced checks for some travellers arriving from Spain, citing concerns that people who had entered Ceuta could travel onward through the Schengen area. Because Italy and Spain do not share a land border, the practical effect was concentrated on air and sea travel.

Spain later introduced reciprocal one-month checks on air and sea arrivals from Italy. The dispute highlighted a broader tension in the Schengen system: a crisis at one EU external border can lead other member states to restore controls at internal borders.

The EU response

Twenty-two EU member states called for a coordinated European response and stronger protection of the bloc’s external borders. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also called for united action on border security.

The European Commission sent migration experts to Ceuta to assess conditions on the ground and determine how the EU could support Spanish authorities. The mission was framed as an assessment of immediate needs and possible assistance, rather than a final settlement of the political dispute between Spain and Morocco.

What the August operation changed—and what it did not

The August 15 operation succeeded in preventing the repeat mass crossing feared by Moroccan and Spanish authorities. Its clearest confirmed outcome was the detention of at least 111 people near Fnideq, amid a much larger security deployment and an online campaign calling for another attempt.

But it did not resolve the underlying crisis. The number of people still in Ceuta remained contested, the death toll from July was disputed, and the episode continued to affect Spain–Morocco relations, EU border policy and the practical operation of Schengen free movement.