Four Moroccan Migrants Arrested After Attack on Spanish Soldiers in Ceuta

Four Moroccan migrants were arrested in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta on Saturday after allegedly throwing stones at a patrol of Spanish soldiers, an incident that has added to growing tensions over migration in the territory.

A Spanish police spokesman told AFP that one soldier fell and injured himself while chasing the men following the stone-throwing incident.

It was the second confrontation involving Moroccan migrants and Spanish military personnel in Ceuta within several days. On Thursday, 12 Moroccan migrants were arrested after allegedly throwing stones at a Spanish military vehicle. One of the four soldiers inside the vehicle was injured during the incident.

Local reports said 11 of those 12 migrants were later deported to Morocco.

Ceuta has remained a major political and security concern for Spain since tens of thousands of migrants entered the territory from Morocco on July 30 and 31. The sudden influx triggered alarm in Madrid and among Spain’s European Union partners.

Most of those who crossed into the territory left during the following days, but thousands remain in Ceuta, a small Spanish enclave with a population of about 80,000. Some migrants have been sleeping on beaches and moving through the streets while authorities seek solutions to their situation.

Tensions have also risen among local residents. Protests against the continued presence of migrants turned confrontational on Thursday when demonstrators clashed with police. The Spanish government has since called for calm and warned against violence.

Madrid is seeking to reduce the number of migrants remaining in Ceuta while complying with EU rules and international obligations concerning asylum and migration.

The European Commission said Spain has requested assistance from several EU agencies to help manage the situation. EU Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner said on Saturday that Madrid had asked for support from Frontex, the bloc’s border control agency, Europol and the European Union Agency for Asylum.

“We are already working on the request and will take a swift decision,” Brunner said on X, describing the situation in Ceuta as “challenging.”

He said the priority was to ensure the return of migrants who remain in Ceuta illegally.

Ceuta and neighbouring Melilla are Spain’s only territories in Africa and form the European Union’s land borders with the African continent. Their location has made them a recurring focus of migration disputes between Spain and Morocco.

The latest arrests come as authorities attempt to contain tensions involving migrants, security forces and local residents while European officials consider how best to support Spain in dealing with the continuing situation.