Morocco stepped up measures Wednesday to prevent a fresh surge of migrants attempting to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta after authorities detected a new wave of online disinformation encouraging crossings.
For more than a week, online posts have claimed that the border crossing between the Moroccan town of Fnideq and the Spanish exclave would be open on Aug. 15, a public holiday in Spain.
It comes after around 72,000 people, mostly Moroccans, crossed into Ceuta irregularly over a few days in late July -- a record figure, though the vast majority of them have since been returned to Morocco.
"All the necessary measures were taken to counter all attempts at illegal passage and intercept every person seeking to participate," Moroccan interior ministry spokesman Rachid El Khalfi said.
The ministry said it "detected over the last days the circulation of publications and anonymous messages on social media inciting the organisation of collective, illegal crossing attempts" towards Ceuta.
