Arrests Rise to 294 Amid Efforts to Prevent Ceuta Crossings

Rabat– The number of people arrested in and around Morocco’s northern city of Fnideq rose to 294 by Saturday afternoon, as authorities continued intensive security operations to prevent mass irregular migration attempts toward Spain’s Ceuta.

According to a security source, the latest tally, recorded at 2:45 p.m., includes 248 people from sub-Saharan African countries and 46 Moroccan nationals.

The figure marks a significant increase from the earlier tally of 148 arrests recorded by 1 p.m. The initial group included 128 people from sub-Saharan African countries and 20 Moroccan nationals.

Authorities said the arrests are part of ongoing operations launched in the early hours of Saturday by public security forces in Fnideq and surrounding areas, in coordination with various security services and local authorities.

The operations are focused on preventing collective attempts to reach Ceuta, including potential sea crossings from the northern Moroccan coast.

The latest security assessment remains provisional, with authorities warning that the number of arrests could continue to rise as operations remain ongoing.

The security source also said that no mass entry of irregular migrants into Ceuta had been recorded on Saturday.

The intensified operations come amid heightened migration tensions around the Spanish enclave, following recent attempts by large numbers of migrants to reach Ceuta from Morocco.

Ceuta’s president, Juan Jesús Vivas, has said that at least 100 people died during mass attempts to enter the enclave, while thousands of undocumented migrants remain in the Spanish territory.