Thousands of migrants have crossed into the Spanish territory from Morocco to create a major humanitarian and security crisis, and Spain has announced the deployment of its Armed Forces to the border city of Ceuta.
Authorities in Ceuta had asked for urgent reinforcements from the Spanish central government, Madrid, as huge crowds of migrants swarmed the fence on Thursday.
Spain’s government announced it would back the Civil Guard in upholding law and order throughout the Spanish capital. The situation will also be evaluated on the spot by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who will arrive in Ceuta in company with Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska.
Local authorities reported that the border was in far greater flux than it could handle.
A representative of the association of civil guard officers stationed in Ceuta, Rachid Sbihi, said it was “absolute chaos” to differ with other sources about the extent of the crossings as he believes thousands of people had crossed into the territory.
Human rights activist Achraf Maimouni, on the Moroccan side, likened the situation to “exceptional” as the Tarajal border crossing was opened in “unusual circumstances” to let in huge numbers to Ceuta.
The images circulating online depict the impromptu dances by a crowd, which included a mix of men, women and children, walking around the breakwaters at Tarajal beach before arriving at Spanish roads.
At least nine lives have been lost during the attempts to cross, according to authorities, with security forces still making an effort to restore order and the control of the unfolding migration crisis.