FNIDEQ, Morocco: Thousands of migrants gathered overnight in the Moroccan town of Fnideq near the border with the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, despite heightened security measures that prevented most attempts to cross into the European territory.
Spanish state broadcaster TVE reported that between 2,000 and 3,000 people managed to enter Ceuta on Thursday. Residents of Fnideq said most successful crossings occurred before midday.
Ceuta, together with the Spanish enclave of Melilla, forms the European Union’s only land border with Africa and has frequently witnessed waves of migrants attempting to reach Europe.
In response to the surge, Spain deployed additional military personnel and police to Ceuta, while local authorities reported that nine bodies had been recovered.
Although the main border crossing remained heavily guarded, groups of migrants continued moving along the coastline in search of alternative routes, with some preparing to swim around the border fence.
“I was late,” said Brahim, 32, who gave only one name. He said he had travelled from Tangier hoping to cross through the main gate but found it effectively closed.
Among those attempting the journey were women, children, and migrants from Morocco as well as countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Moroccan authorities reinforced security around the crossing with additional personnel and water cannon vehicles, repeatedly dispersing groups trying to approach the border.
Reuters witnesses reported seeing the burned remains of a bus and seven other vehicles following clashes that erupted as security forces attempted to control the crowds.
Stampede and chaos
One migrant described being caught in a stampede during an attempt to cross.
“I feared for my life,” said the migrant, who declined to be identified, recalling scenes of people pushing and trampling one another along a narrow coastal route.
Roads leading into Fnideq remained congested as more migrants, including minors, continued arriving throughout the night. Some walked along highways while others used mountain trails to avoid security checkpoints.
Security forces repeatedly blocked coordinated attempts to breach the border, while groups of migrants regrouped on roadsides, hills and open areas across the town.
Spain’s Socialist government has adopted one of Europe’s more migrant-friendly policies and recently introduced a programme aimed at granting legal status to around 500,000 undocumented migrants, prompting more than double that number of applications.
Early on Friday, 23-year-old Fatima Mahli waited beside the road to the border with her two daughters after her husband left before dawn in an attempt to swim to Ceuta.
“I thought I could cross by foot through the border. But we are stuck here, unable to go back home,” she said.
“I was hoping to cross as a family but my husband woke up early and went first, swimming.”
