A wave of unrest has unfolded in the Moroccan border town of Beni-Enzar, close to the Spanish autonomous city of Melilla, as multiple fires broke out amid violent clashes on Thursday, 30 July. The disturbances followed a large influx of migrants who stormed the border crossing between Morocco and Spain.
Thousands of migrants surged across the frontier, with footage circulating on social media showing crowds navigating the breakwaters at an urban beach near a border checkpoint at Ceuta, another Spanish exclave. Video also captured vehicles ablaze within Moroccan territory, with reports indicating that the fires were deliberately set.
Local news outlet El Faro de Melilla has attributed the fires to acts of arson amidst the turmoil. The regional government of Ceuta confirmed that between 1,500 and 2,000 people had crossed into Spanish territory in the preceding ten days, with hundreds more arriving on the day of the incident.
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Ceuta and Melilla, located on the northern Mediterranean coast of Africa, are unique as the European Union’s only land borders with the continent. However, Morocco does not formally recognise these cities as Spanish territory and often refers to them as occupied land.
Rachid Sbihi, head of the Civil Guard officers' association patrolling the Ceuta border, described the situation as “absolute chaos,” noting that precise numbers of migrants were unclear but that “thousands” had crossed and that the border had “totally collapsed.”
In response, Ceuta’s regional authorities appealed to the Spanish central government for reinforcement. While the Interior Ministry declined to declare a national emergency due to migration, it announced the deployment of 60 military personnel to bolster border security.
This escalation follows a recent increase in attempts to reach Ceuta, largely by swimming, which has tragically led to the deaths of at least 17 people, according to police sources. The ongoing crisis highlights the challenging dynamics at this tense frontier between Spain and Morocco.
“The situation is absolute chaos. It’s not possible to give precise numbers, but there are thousands of migrants crossing. The border has totally collapsed,” said Rachid Sbihi, head of the Civil Guard officers' association.