Morocco keeps security alert in Fnideq after mass Ceuta crossings

Moroccan security forces maintained a heavy presence Monday in the northern city of Fnideq following mass irregular migration attempts toward the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, as daily life gradually returned to normal with shops and restaurants reopening and essential services resuming operations. Security forces remained heavily deployed throughout the border region to coordinate the transfer of migrants back to their home cities and prevent renewed attempts to reach Ceuta by swimming across the Mediterranean, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

Families continued to search for missing relatives in the coastal city, particularly minors who may have attempted the dangerous crossing, while Moroccan authorities worked closely with their Spanish counterparts to verify reports of fatalities and determine the actual number, identities and nationalities of those involved in the mass migration events.

Disputed death toll

Morocco's Interior Ministry said Sunday that nearly 40,000 people had headed toward Ceuta in irregular crossing attempts during the recent events that left 11 people dead. Spanish media reported that the number of bodies recovered from the waters off Ceuta had risen to 88, highlighting the significant discrepancy between official Moroccan figures and reports from the Spanish side of the border.

Videos circulated by Spanish media showed numerous minors gathered at a reception center in Ceuta amid heated discussions in Madrid about the legal challenges surrounding their potential return to Morocco. Tens of thousands of Moroccans had gathered near the border fence with Ceuta in recent days in desperate attempts to reach the enclave and then enter Europe through irregular routes, creating a humanitarian crisis at the frontier.

Legal challenges and sovereignty

In January 2024, Spain's Supreme Court ruled that the repatriation of minors from Ceuta to Morocco in August 2021 was unlawful because authorities had failed to assess and hear each child individually or involve public prosecutors in the process, a decision that continues to complicate Madrid's response to the current crisis involving unaccompanied minors. Ceuta lies on Morocco's northern coast and is administered by Spain, while Rabat claims sovereignty over the territory — a longstanding dispute that complicates border management and migration cooperation between the two kingdoms.