Morocco says working to prevent potential new Ceuta crossings surge

play Live Sign upShow navigation menuNavigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificMiddle EastExplainedSportOpinionVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomyHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelSponsored Contentplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNewsMorocco says working to prevent potential new Ceuta crossings surgeMorocco Interior Ministry says it has increased security along its borders with the Spanish exclaves Ceuta and Melilla. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoSecurity forces stand guard in Fnideq, Morocco, August 1, 2026, as people gather after crossing from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta to the Moroccan side of the border [Reuters]By AFP and The Associated PressPublished On 12 Aug 202612 Aug 2026Moroccan authorities say they are working to prevent more people from crossing to Spanish-administered Ceuta as a new disinformation campaign on social media called for mass attempts to enter. Morocco’s Ministry of Interior said on Wednesday that it has increased security along its borders with the Spanish exclaves Ceuta and Melilla. Authorities also said legal proceedings would be taken against those spreading online posts that encourage irregular migration. The surge in late July had been triggered by a social media campaign calling for mass crossings. Online posts have been circulating throughout the past week. This time, they claim that the border crossing between the Moroccan town of Fnideq and Ceuta would be open on August 15, a public holiday in Spain. The Moroccan ministry said it “detected over the last days the circulation of publications and anonymous messages on social media inciting the organisation of collective, illegal crossing attempts” towards Ceuta. Additionally, Moroccan Interior Ministry spokesman Rachid El Khalfi said that “all the necessary measures were taken to counter all attempts at illegal passage and intercept every person seeking to participate.” A group of people accused of being involved has been summoned for investigation, El Khalfi added in remarks carried by the state news agency MAP. In late July, approximately 72,000 people from Morocco crossed into Ceuta irregularly, most of them arriving via the sea over a few days. On August 7, Morocco sentenced seven Moroccan taxi drivers to up to six months in prison and fined each $1,070 for driving people to the border. The national taxi union condemned the sentences as harsh and unexpected, noting in a statement that “no official decision was issued imposing restrictions on passenger transport.” The vast majority of those who crossed have since been returned to Morocco by local and Spanish forces. However, according to local authorities in Ceuta, about 2,000 people remain in the territory on the North African coast. Approximately 1,000 of them are minors who cannot be deported under Spanish law. The Moroccan Interior Ministry has urged Spanish authorities to speed up the return of the children. Moroccan authorities recovered the bodies of 11 dead people in the wake of the crisis, while Spain said at least 80 people died. The Moroccan Association for Human Rights, a nongovernmental group, estimated the death toll to be at least 141. Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: