Following the diplomatic standoff with Spain a fortnight ago, Morocco showed that it can completely freeze the border by preventing a single migrant from reaching Ceuta when it wants.

The Moroccan authorities used military and police resources to crack down on viral online campaigns that urged a repeat of the massive July 30th border assault, timed for yesterday.

On the Moroccan side of the Ceuta frontier security forces worked from dawn to dusk to disperse crowds, using tear gas, etc, resulting in the arrest of at least 248 sub-Saharan migrants and 46 Moroccans, including minors and human traffickers.

In other words, the Moroccan thwarted the mass assault miles from the border as it was gathering several kilometres from the Ceuta border by cutting off access routes, stopping them getting on trains, buses, intercepting them on the road and in the hills and on the beaches.

In fact, extreme surveillance and passenger screening were implemented at major bus stations in Rabat, Fez, and cities along the northern transit routes. Furthermore, six different security branches set up concentric security rings, allowing only individuals with valid passports, visas, or travel tickets to reach the border zone.

As for the Moroccan coast, beaches were cordoned off and some were partially closed such as Fnideq beach (which is next to Ceuta). Furthermore, rolls of barbed had been mounted onto steel posts reaching the sea and out a little way (five to ten metres). In the water two Royal Moroccan Navy ships and several fast launches were patrolling.

On the Spanish side of the border, the Spanish armed parked several armour-personnel carriers on the Tarajal beach. A total of 3,600 personnel were on duty, including 880 Policía Nacional, 714 Guardia Civil officers, and 2,000 supporting Spanish Army personnel, alongside naval vessels, divers, and helicopters.

Not one illegal immigrant made it to the Spanish side and none even attempted to reach the floating barrier that marks the maritime border, which has been put in place to circumvent the Spanish Supreme Court ruling.

The complete about-face by Moroccan after it had fuelling a bilateral crisis with sovereignty claims and threats to end extradition treaties, has been very noticeable, because the diplomatic praise by the Spanish Government had been laced with a reminder that Morocco gets its energy needs from Spain, via a pipeline from Algeria.

However, there are still several thousand illegal immigrants in Ceuta that made their way in on the 30th, with estimates putting their numbers between 5,000 and 9,000 people.

This means that the local migrant centre is over overwhelmed. At Playa Trampolín there is a shanty town now of some 70 to 80 makeshift shelters.

Anxiety remains because it is far from over.

(News: Ceuta, North Africa – Photo: Mohamed Siali)

Keywords: Morocco Thwarts Second Invasion, Border, Armoured Personnel Carriers, Policía Nacional, Guardia Civil, Spanish Army, Moroccan Navy, Train & Bus Controls

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