Castillejos (Morocco).– Moroccan authorities have begun using riot control equipment, tear gas, and water cannons to disperse the crowd gathered in the vicinity of the border with Ceuta, as EFE was able to verify on the ground.
Thousands of people continue to arrive throughout the day in the town of Castillejos with the intention of crossing into the Spanish city, a human tide of more than five kilometers that has ended up overwhelming the Moroccan police.
After a day in which the trickle of migrants—mostly young people from various parts of the country—did not cease, security forces activated this device to stop attempts to approach the border perimeter.
Following the police intervention, hundreds of people have begun to retreat towards the urban area of Castillejos, where most intend to spend the night in order to attempt the crossing again in the coming hours.
“We have been dispersed, but we are not going to stop trying”
“We have been dispersed, but we are not going to stop trying,” a young Moroccan man declared to EFE as he walked away from the area adjacent to the border crossing.
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The action of the riot police has not prevented hundreds of people from continuing to try to enter by swimming and going around the border breakwater, one of the last obstacles reinforced with barbed wire that separates the coast of Castillejos from Spanish territory.
Several Moroccan Royal Navy vessels are patrolling the area to try to contain thousands of young people, women, and children who do not give up and continue throwing themselves into the sea to cross into Ceuta.
In parallel, hundreds of people have settled in the hills near the border perimeter and, for the moment, have not been evicted by security forces.
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However, migratory pressure by land has decreased near the border.
The same pace of people entering Ceuta continues
The pace of people entering Ceuta from Morocco through the area closest to the Tarajal customs border breakwater continues tonight, as EFE has been able to verify.
Thousands of people continue to enter clandestinely, with entire families as well as many minors who have entered with their parents or individually being found in the groups.
The Civil Guard maintains a special operation in the area, with the intention, above all, of controlling the access of people and vehicles to the border, mainly of the North Africans participating in the Operation Crossing the Strait (OPE).
The situation has caused the border to record little movement of entries and exits this Thursday, as many travelers have chosen to cancel their trips or take alternative routes.
Meanwhile, almost the entire population of Ceuta remains inside their homes due to the large number of people wandering the streets.
The massive influx has led shops, bars, restaurants, and kiosks, as well as large retail stores, to choose to remain closed this afternoon to avoid potential complications arising from the large presence of people, most of them wearing only swimsuits or bathing suits.
Police deployed in different areas of Ceuta
For their part, the National Police and the Local Police have been deployed tonight in different parts of the city center of Ceuta and its surrounding areas to prevent any robberies or altercations related to the massive entry of people from Morocco.
As police sources have informed EFE, the fundamental objective of this deployment is to prevent people who have accessed from Morocco from carrying out any type of criminal action.
The agents have stated that it must be taken into account that most of these people have arrived only in swimsuits or swimwear, so they lack any type of food or money to be able to buy things.
