Ceuta Crisis: 57 Dead in Mass Migrant Crossing as Sanchez Calls It an “Attack on Spain”

At least 57 people lost their lives attempting to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, according to an announcement by the Spanish government’s regional representative. Spanish authorities have recovered 57 bodies so far, and the death toll may rise further, as additional fatalities are believed to have occurred on the Moroccan side of the border. According to initial reports, some of those who attempted to cross into Ceuta drowned, while others were trampled in the rush to climb the breakwater located next to the border fence.

Read also: Spain: Over 37,000 migrants returned to Morocco following the mass crossing into Ceuta

According to Reuters, Moroccan security forces pushed back crowds at the Ceuta gates using batons, tear gas, and water cannons. Agency journalists reported seeing a burned-out bus and seven vehicles damaged during clashes with the gathered crowd. On the Spanish side of the border, vehicles from the Spanish armed forces were deployed along the frontier, while dozens of would-be migrants watched from a hillside, unable to cross into Ceuta.

Sanchez: “It is an attack and an affront to our territorial integrity”

Hundreds of people returned to Morocco, either through border checkpoints or through gaps in the fence, with some saying they had been unable to find food or shelter in Ceuta. “Honestly, I don’t know why I came, and now I’m going back,” said a young man who stated he was from Tangier. “I haven’t eaten since yesterday afternoon, even though I had money with me… What we’re doing is neither good nor pleasant.”

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez traveled to Ceuta today and declared that the mass crossing was an “attack” and an “affront to Spain’s territorial integrity,” adding that, with Morocco’s cooperation, deportation procedures for those who entered the enclave illegally are being expedited.

In a post on platform X, Spain’s AUGC police union stated that on Thursday, only a handful of officers were guarding the fence, making it impossible to stop the breach.

Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres said that one of the contributing factors to this mass influx may have been a ruling issued earlier this month by Spain’s Supreme Court, which prohibits the summary rejection of migrants intercepted at sea while attempting to reach Ceuta or Melilla. However, experts note that even this ruling does not prevent their deportation.

On the Moroccan side of the border, thousands of would-be migrants flocked to the town of Fnideq overnight, despite heightened security measures. Some began leaving the town today. Although the route to Ceuta appeared to be blocked, certain groups were searching along the coastline for alternative ways to bypass the fence.

“I was too late,” said 32-year-old Brahim from Tangier simply, who had hoped to cross into Ceuta but found the gate closed. Among those who had gathered to cross were women and children — not only from Morocco but also from sub-Saharan African countries.

France: Border police and gendarmerie reinforcements surge at the Spanish frontier

Meanwhile, France is reinforcing its forces at the border with Spain. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced today that the number of police officers and gendarmes deployed on an emergency basis at the Spanish border will be increased, in response to the mass influx of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.

He specified via X that effective immediately, “reinforcements are being tripled, with 184 officers mobilized and enhanced drone surveillance.”

“From Saturday onwards, they will be quintupled, bringing the total number of police officers and gendarmes deployed on an emergency basis to 334, in addition to the staff regularly mobilized,” he added.

France’s Interior Minister also announced that three Border Guard aircraft will bolster operations along the Franco-Spanish border, while patrols on trains operating routes from Spain will be intensified.