Spain's Ceuta Faces Fresh Wave of Migrants from Morocco

Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta is facing another wave of illegal migration. According to the state news agency EFE, thousands of migrants, most of them young people, crossed the border from Morocco on Thursday by scaling the fence separating Ceuta from Moroccan territory.

The agency reported that the fence was not being guarded by police at the time and that members of the Moroccan auxiliary security forces had withdrawn from the area. Footage released showed migrants chanting "Long live Spain" after entering the enclave.

The mass arrival came just a few days after more than 1,500 migrants reached Ceuta by swimming, according to regional authorities.

Ceuta, together with Melilla, forms the European Union's only land border with Africa and regularly faces attempts by migrants to enter European territory.

City official Juan Jesús Vivas called on the Spanish government to declare a state of emergency in response to the situation.

(Reuters, mja)