2021 Morocco–Spain border incident
Diplomatic crisis between Spain and Morocco / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2021 Morocco–Spain border incident was a migratory incident caused by the massive crossing of people along the beaches of the border between both countries in the direction of Ceuta and Melilla in Spain that began on 17 May 2021.[3] It originated due to a deterioration in diplomatic relations between the Moroccan monarchy and the Government of Spain, after the latter admitted the transfer of the president of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Brahim Ghali, to a Spanish hospital in La Rioja, in April 2021.[4][5] A month after the hospitalization, the Moroccan security forces located on the border in Ceuta (and to a lesser extent those in Melilla) relaxed the last control mechanisms, allowing the passage of migrants from Morocco to the Spanish city,[6] most of whom made the journey by swimming.
Part of the Morocco–Spain relations within the Western Sahara conflict | |
Date | 17 May – 23 August 2021[1] |
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Location | Ceuta Melilla Spain |
Type | International Incident and migratorial crisis |
Participants | Between 6000–9000 people |
Deaths | 2[2] |
Approximately 8,000 illegal immigrants, of which 1,500 were minors,[7] crossed the border of the autonomous city of Ceuta by the breakwaters of the beaches of Benzú and El Tarajal.[8] The Spanish government responded by moving security forces to the area and implementing a pushback mechanism. Most of the new arrivals were returned to Morocco within a few days of the incident.
To date, this is the largest irregular entry of people across the border in Spain.[9]