Dozens of migrants gathered in the hills near the northern Moroccan city of Fnideq on Saturday as security forces carried out an operation to prevent attempted crossings into the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla.
Footage shows migrants gathered on a hillside as a helicopter circles overhead. Police officers can also be seen escorting some people onto a bus.
Mohammed Jaafar, a migrant from Nigeria, said members of his family depended on him.
“I am going to do a walk because I have two children. I have a wife, I have a mother and father,” he remarked.
“They are waiting for me because I am the one who takes responsibility,” he added.
Moroccan authorities stepped up security around Fnideq and other areas near Ceuta after calls circulated on social media encouraging coordinated crossings on August 15.
Moroccan media reported that more than 350 people had been intercepted in and around Fnideq by 16:00 local time on Saturday, most of them from sub-Saharan African countries.
Authorities also said 61 people had been arrested in recent days on suspicion of encouraging or promoting irregular migration through social media.
Spain also reinforced security in Ceuta ahead of August 15, increasing police and military deployments and strengthening surveillance by land, sea and air.
The security operation followed a mass crossing from Morocco into Ceuta at the end of July, when tens of thousands of people entered the Spanish territory by land and sea. Dozens of people died during the crossing, although reported totals have varied between authorities and media organisations.
Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish territories in North Africa and form the European Union’s only land borders with Africa.
Source: Viory
