Moroccan police thwart migrants targeting Spanish enclave

Moroccan police thwarted an attempt by several hundred migrants to force their way into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the northern African coast, officials said Thursday.

The large group of men gathered on the Moroccan side of the border after nightfall Wednesday and threw stones at police who moved to intercept them, Spanish media reported.

Moroccan police chased them through the streets and foiled their efforts to scale a high fence that separates Morocco from European soil, video posted by the newspaper El Faro de Ceuta showed.

On the Spanish side, the Guardia Civil deployed riot police, a helicopter and boats in case the migrants made it through.

Ceuta and nearby Melilla, Spain’s other autonomous city on the northern African coast, are seen as springboards into Europe for many Africans fleeing poverty or violence and attempts to scale the fence are frequent.