Beyza Binnur Donmez
30 July 2026•Update: 31 July 2026
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Thursday that his government is mobilizing all available resources after thousands of young Moroccans attempted to cross into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from neighboring Morocco.
"The Government of Spain is fully committed to providing an immediate response to the situation in Ceuta," Sanchez said in a post on the US social media platform X.
He said Spain is deploying "all necessary resources," working with Moroccan and international authorities and preparing measures to "restore normality as soon as possible."
Sanchez added that he conveyed the government's response to Ceuta’s regional president Juan Vivas, saying: "This is the time to build solutions, with responsibility and cooperation."
The Spanish government also announced that the armed forces would be deployed to assist the Civil Guard in maintaining security across the city.
Sanchez and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska will travel to Ceuta on Friday to assess the situation firsthand.
The decision follows a request from Ceuta's local authorities for additional support from the central government in Madrid as a border crisis that had been escalating reached a breaking point Thursday
Thousands of young Moroccans gathered Thursday near the border separating the Moroccan city of Castillejos from Ceuta in an apparent coordinated attempt to enter the Spanish territory, Spain's EFE news agency reported.
It said hundreds climbed over border fences while others headed toward the breakwater and entered the sea in an effort to reach Ceuta.
EFE reported that Moroccan security forces established cordons in some areas and detained several people, although many groups continued advancing toward the border.
The news agency said the mass movement coincided with celebrations marking the 27th anniversary of the enthronement of King Mohammed VI, while Moroccan authorities said they did not know what had triggered the large-scale gathering at the border.
