Spain Mobilises Military as Thousands Storm European Border in Morocco Breach

Between 2,000 and 3,000 undocumented migrants have successfully breached Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta, the European Union’s only terrestrial border with Africa, in a coordinated surge across the Mediterranean. The migrants, equipped with airbeds, flippers and wetsuits, crossed by sea in what local officials are describing as chaotic scenes. “There is absolute chaos, the border has collapsed,” witnesses reported from the Spanish city, as authorities struggled to process the unprecedented numbers arriving simultaneously.

Spain’s government has responded by deploying military forces to reinforce the border and prevent further incursions. The crisis has exposed deep divisions within Europe’s right-wing governments, with Italy’s far-right administration in Rome launching a scathing attack on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Italian ministers are accusing Sánchez of promoting policies that effectively “train smugglers and facilitate illegal migration,” and threatening to suspend Spain’s membership of the Schengen Area—the European zone allowing visa-free travel between member states.

The incident underscores the mounting pressure on EU external borders as migration routes shift. Ceuta, a Spanish territory surrounded by Morocco, has become an increasingly flashpoint for migrant crossings, reflecting broader tensions between European nations over how to manage irregular arrivals. Italy’s threat to suspend Schengen access represents an escalation in internal EU disputes over migration policy, potentially destabilising the continent’s passport-free travel agreement that underpins economic and social mobility across 27 countries.

Source: Ynet — Original article in Hebrew.