Several fires caused by arson are being reported in the Moroccan town of Beni-Enzar, near the border with the Spanish autonomous city of Melilla. The blazes erupted amid violent clashes after thousands of migrants stormed the border on Thursday, July 30. Videos circulating on social media showed crowds walking around breakwaters at an urban beach near a border checkpoint of Ceuta, another Spanish territory, and vehicles on fire in Moroccan territory.
Migrant Surge
The government of Ceuta said that between 1,500 and 2,000 people had entered the enclave in the last 10 days, with hundreds more estimated to have arrived on Thursday. Ceuta and Melilla are located on the northern coast of Africa and are Spain's autonomous cities, sharing the European Union's only land borders with Africa. Morocco does not officially recognize them as Spanish territory and often refers to them as occupied lands.
Chaos at the Border
Rachid Sbihi, head of the association representing Spain's Civil Guard officers who police the border in Ceuta, described the situation as "absolute chaos." He added that it was not possible to give precise numbers but there were thousands of migrants crossing, and the border had "totally collapsed."
Response and Reinforcements
Local authorities in Ceuta asked the central government in Madrid for reinforcements to manage the border crisis. Spain's Interior Ministry rejected calls to declare a national emergency, stating the measure does not cover migration crises. However, the ministry later announced that the armed forces would send 60 troops to reinforce the border. At least 17 people have died while trying to swim into Ceuta, according to police sources.
