Spain stocks African enclave Ceuta with boosted security as Morocco monitors calls for second border rush

Spain's African enclave Ceuta sees soldiers patrolling streets as Morocco says it arrested those inciting a second mass border crossing on Saturday.

Spain disregarded Ceuta warnings before migrant rush, say border workers' unions  Reuters

CEUTA, Spain, Aug 15 - In the weeks before a rush of more than 70,000 migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, border workers warned Spain's central government that more people, spurred on by social media, were arriving by sea, adding they feared an escalation.

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.

Morocco has added barbed wire and more police near Spain’s Ceuta enclave after online calls for another mass crossing.

One witness said the schools in Fnideq had been turned into dormitories for security forces deployed near the border.

At least 96 people died in the attempt and over 72,000 managed to enter Ceuta, according to Spanish government estimates

Morocco deployed additional security measures amid threats of a new possible migrant invasion of Ceuta this weekend, Spanish outlets reported.

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

By Kingsley Omonobi The Commissioners of Police in Kogi and Edo states have intensified security collaboration along the Kogi-Edo boundary following concerns over kidnapping and banditry attacks in communities around the border. The Kogi State Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, and his Edo counterpart,

Spanish authorities are also working to speed up the removal of the 5,000 irregular migrants still in the city following the influx of July 30 and 31

Spanish authorities are also working to speed up the removal of the 5,000 irregular migrants still in the city following the influx of July 30 and 31

Italy’s decision to impose border checks with Spain following the influx of thousands of migrants into Ceuta was driven by national security concerns, not politics, according to its interior minister.

A team of EU migration experts is in Ceuta for a “first-hand assessment” of the situation, as reports warn of a potential new migrant influx on 15 August. Brussels, however, says its focus remains on protecting the EU’s external border at all times, rather than on any “specific date”.

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

Spain has ruled out discussing the future of Ceuta and Melilla after Morocco's justice minister reiterated Rabat's sovereignty claims over the two enclaves.