Moroccan migrants stage sit-in as thousands remain stranded in Ceuta

Moroccan migrants are protesting in Ceuta, demanding asylum two weeks after more than a massive migrant surge.

MADRID, Aug 16 - Hundreds of migrants who recently entered Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta staged a protest on a popular urban beach on Sunday, urging Spanish authorities to grant them asylum instead of sending them back to Morocco.

In Spain's Ceuta, hundreds of migrants stage protest and demand asylum  Reuters

Scores of would-be migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, were intercepted on Saturday in northern Morocco near the border with the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, an AFP correspondent saw, two weeks after thousands of migrants rushed into the tiny territory.

Moroccan security forces on Saturday broke up hundreds of migrants who had been hiding near Castillejos in a bid to reach Ceuta. The operation comes weeks after the mass crossing attempt that left 141 people dead.

Hundreds of migrants have been apprehended at the border between Morocco and Spain, just weeks after a mass-crossing attempt left at least 80 people dead.

Hundreds of migrants have been apprehended at the border between Morocco and Spain, just weeks after a mass-crossing attempt left at least 80 people dead.

Authorities in Morocco have arrested 111 people attempting to cross into Spain's Ceuta, amid tightened security triggered by a deadly mass crossing in July.

Morocco arrested at least 111 people attempting to reach Ceuta as authorities tightened security following online calls for another mass migrant crossing.

Morocco arrests 111 migrants headed for Spain's Ceuta in security crackdown  Dawn

Moroccan police arrested at least 111 people on Saturday as they tried to enter Spain's North ‌African enclave of Ceuta, amid tightened security on both sides of the border after social media posts called for another mass migrant crossing.

Moroccan security dispersed migrants who tried to cross from Fnideq to Spain’s Ceuta on Saturday. People were seen standing and running on a hill near the border as security personnel gathered in the area.

The attempted crossing comes two weeks after more than 72,000 migrants surged into Ceuta, sparking tensions within the EU and fuelling anti-immigration rhetoric among far-right parties worldwide

Border workers had issued several warning to Spanish authorities prior to the migrant surge in Ceuta between 29-30 July, but they say Madrid did not act.

In late July, tens of thousands of migrants crossed the European border into a small enclave in a single day.

The Justice Department issued a legal opinion giving the U.S. military broader powers to detain migrants near certain areas along the southern border.

Authorities in Madrid and Rabat are taking no chances, working together to prevent a repeat of last month’s mass crossings into the exclave.

Moroccan authorities on Wednesday announced measures to counter a new influx of migrants to the Spanish territory of Ceuta, after monitoring a new wave of online disinformation.

The status of the North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla as Spanish territories is not up for discussion, Spanish officials said on Wednesday, after Morocco's justice minister reiterated Rabat's sovereignty claims over the cities.

Morocco won't abandon its claim over Ceuta, says Spain's former envoy  euractiv.com