More than 100 arrested in Morocco after social media call for another migrant mass crossing to Ceuta

At least 111 people have been arrested for trying to get into Ceuta following another call on social media for a mass crossing of migrants.

Moroccan police blocked the attempt two weeks after more than 72,000 people descended on the Spanish enclave on the tip of northern Africa.

At least 96 died in that incident - many by drowning - and it led to a diplomatic spat between Spain and Italy over border security.

A source in Morocco's interior ministry said nearly all of those arrested on Saturday - 109 - were from sub-Saharan Africa. The other two were Moroccans.

They were detained in or around Fnideq, the Moroccan city opposite Ceuta.

Police used tear gas to disperse people on hills about two miles from the border, according to Spanish news agency EFE.

Images showed scores of police, some in riot gear, escorting migrants from the area.

Moroccan authorities said earlier this week they were monitoring social media posts urging another mass crossing on 15 August and would prosecute organisers and participants.

There was a heavy Spanish police presence on Ceuta's streets on Saturday, but it was calmer than in the days after the mass crossing.

Soldiers and more than 500 extra police have been sent from mainland Spain, bringing the total to more than 1,600 officers in a city of around 80,000 people.

A barrier has also been installed in the sea to try to prevent another mass crossing.

"We'll continue to deploy whatever personnel are necessary to restore normality as soon as possible and prevent events like those ‌of July 30 from happening again," interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said on Thursday.

Most of those who breached the border returned to Morocco in the days after the influx, according to Spanish authorities, but Mr Grande-Marlaska said about 5,000 were still in Ceuta.

He said all would be returned to Morocco - except in rare cases of extreme vulnerability.

Many of those remaining are camping in makeshift shelters on the beach. However, Sky News was told this week that about 75 had made it to southern Spain via boat.

The crisis sparked anti-immigration rhetoric across Europe and diplomatic tensions within the EU over border policy, with Spain accusing some partners of an "unhelpful and polarising" response.

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Italy temporarily suspended its open-border Schengen agreement with Spain, re-imposing controls for air and sea until at least 15 August

In return, Spain said passport, nationality, and visa checks would be conducted for Italian passengers and visitors from other countries arriving from Italy ‌until 7 September.

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