Spain’s Gendarmerie Directorate is investigating calls for a new mass migration attempt to Ceuta, a Spanish territory in North Africa.
As part of the investigation, chat groups on certain social media platforms were identified that urged people to travel to Ceuta. The groups included more than 400,000 people, and their posts contained calls pointing to August 15 as well as logistical details.
Spanish authorities concluded that the posts involved digital coordination. However, there was no confirmation that a new migration attempt would take place, and no evidence was found that the campaign had been planned by the Moroccan government or criminal organizations.
Previous attempt in Ceuta
In the previous incident, more than 800 irregular migrants attempting to swim to Ceuta from the coast of the Moroccan town of Castillejos were intercepted.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said after the incident that the government had mobilized all its resources. The Spanish government also decided to deploy the armed forces in the area to ensure security following an increase in irregular migration attempts toward Ceuta.