Archive · 16 Aug 2026
Morocco Arrests 111 After 72,000-Migrant Surge into Ceuta
A very large group of more than 72,000 people rushed into a city called Ceuta all at once a couple of weeks ago.
Ceuta sits very close to Morocco, right next to a Moroccan border city called Fnideq.
After that big rush, police in Morocco arrested 111 people.
Most of the arrested people, 109 of them, came from countries in Africa south of the Sahara Desert.
Two of the arrested people were from Morocco.
The arrests happened in and around Fnideq, which is right next to Ceuta.
The huge wave of people caused disagreement, or friction, between countries in the European Union.
Some political groups in Europe used the crisis to support their own ideas.
Moroccan authorities arrested 111 people in connection with the migrant crisis near Ceuta.
The arrests came two weeks after more than 72,000 migrants rushed into Ceuta in a single wave.
109 of those detained came from sub-Saharan Africa, according to a Reuters source inside Morocco's interior ministry.
Two Moroccan nationals were also among those arrested, with all arrests in and around Fnideq.
The earlier mass entry caused friction within the EU and gave ammunition to right-wing political movements across several European countries.
- Who
- Moroccan authorities arrested 111 people; 109 were from sub-Saharan Africa and two were Moroccans, according to a source inside Morocco's interior ministry cited by Reuters.
- What
- Morocco detained 111 people in and around Fnideq following a migrant surge into Ceuta.
- When
- The arrests took place after a wave of more than 72,000 migrants entered Ceuta two weeks earlier.
- Where
- In and around Fnideq, a Moroccan border city that sits right next to Ceuta.
- Why
- The arrests occurred in the aftermath of the massive 72,000-migrant rush into Ceuta, an event that also caused friction within the EU.
- Total arrested
- 111 people
- Sub-Saharan African detainees
- 109
- Moroccan detainees
- 2
- Migrants in earlier surge
- More than 72,000
- Location of arrests
- Fnideq and surrounding area, Morocco
- Adjacent territory
- Ceuta
- Information source
- Reuters, citing a Moroccan interior ministry source
- EU impact
- Friction within the EU; ammunition for right-wing political movements in several European countries