Moroccan security forces have tightened their hold on the approaches to Ceuta, putting roads, forests, mountain tracks and the coastline under watch in an operation that stopped 142 people from reaching the border fence before dawn on Tuesday.
The group was picked up at around 4am in Belyounech forest, where they had been moving together through rugged ground under cover of darkness.
Security forces surrounded the group before it could move out of the forest towards the barrier separating Fnideq from Ceuta. Preliminary information showed that most were nationals of sub-Saharan African countries, with Sudanese, Algerians and Moroccans also among them.
By then, the approaches to Bab Sebta were already under a security cordon extending well beyond the crossing itself.
Royal Gendarmerie units from Fahs-Anjra and M’Diq-Fnideq, National Security, Auxiliary Forces and local authorities have been deployed from the Tanger Med area through Belyounech and its surrounding forests to the outskirts of Fnideq.
Read also : Ceuta: PP and Vox’s anti-Morocco crusade suffers a stinging defeat in European Parliament
Mountain paths and patches of thick brush where groups could gather away from the roads are being combed by patrols. Drones have been flying over the harder-to-reach ground by day and night, picking up movements in areas where conventional patrols have limited visibility.
Le dispositif sécuritaire mis en place à Fnideq, mardi 23 septembre 2026. (S.Kadry/Le360)
The main approaches have been reinforced with security vehicles, armored vehicles, and trucks equipped with high-pressure water cannons.
Royal Navy units have raised their readiness along the coast, patrolling Moroccan territorial waters against attempts to make for Ceuta by boat or by swimming.
The operation is being coordinated by Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Wali Younès Tazi alongside the governors of Fahs-Anjra and M’Diq-Fnideq, bringing the security services on both sides of the approaches under the same field command.
