Morocco blames Ceuta migrant rush on social media misinformation, human trafficking networks

Morocco's Interior Ministry attributed recent mass crossings to Spanish enclaves to misinformation, human trafficking, and a Spanish ruling on migrant returns, resulting in 11 deaths.

Morocco blames Ceuta migrant rush on social media misinformation, human trafficking networks
  • Country:
  • Morocco

​Morocco's Interior ​Ministry said ‌on Sunday that ​recent mass crossings to the ‌Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla were fuelled by misinformation on ‌social media, human trafficking networks and ‌misinterpretation of a Spanish ruling banning immediate returns of migrants intercepted at ⁠sea.

About ​40,000 ⁠people were involved in the mass ⁠crossing into Ceuta and 1,135 were ​stopped from entering Melilla, the ⁠ministry said in a statement.

Eleven people died, ⁠mostly ​by drowning while crossing, the ministry said, noting that ⁠it was fact-checking reports on deaths ⁠from ⁠the other side of the border. (Reporting Ahmed El ‌Jechtimi; ‌Editing by ​Paul Simao)

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