Ceuta on the fault line: migration breakthrough at the Spanish city in Africa

On the morning of July 30, 2026, the residents of Ceuta saw thousands of people on the streets of their city, crossing the border from Morocco in several waves, bypassing barriers by sea, walking around breakwaters near Tarajal beach, or attempting to swim to the Spanish shore.

By the morning of July 31, the death toll had reached at least 18 people. Some drowned, others died in a stampede near a narrow coastal area. Spain sent the army and additional police units to the city, and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska planned an urgent visit to Ceuta.

However, what is happening is not just another episode of the European migration crisis. Ceuta (here it is on the map – https://maps.app.goo.gl/hTUCguyf12fEjTrg9) is one of the most unusual territories in the world: a Spanish city located on the African continent, surrounded by Morocco and the Mediterranean Sea, but legally part of Spain.

That is why a person who crosses a few meters of the border line or bypasses a sea barrier finds themselves not just in a neighboring North African city. They find themselves on the territory of Spain and the European Union.

NANews — News of Israel examines what happened in Ceuta, why this small city has become one of the main migration points in Europe, and how its centuries-old history is connected to the current crisis.

Thousands of people crossed the sea and land border

According to Spanish state television TVE, between 2,000 and 3,000 people could have entered Ceuta on July 30. Most successful crossings occurred before noon, when border forces had not yet managed to block the main routes. Among the arrivals were predominantly young Moroccan citizens, but also people from sub-Saharan African countries, women, children, and entire families.

People moved in several ways. Some bypassed the border crossing via the breakwater near Tarajal, others entered the sea and swam along the coast, while others tried to break through gates and land barriers.

After the main approaches were blocked, thousands wishing to enter Ceuta remained in the Moroccan city of Fnideq. Some reached there on foot via mountain trails, trying to bypass police checkpoints. Moroccan security forces used water cannons and pushed people away from the border. During clashes, a bus and seven cars were set on fire.

Ceuta, with a population of about 85,000 people, is not physically prepared for the simultaneous arrival of several thousand migrants. Many minors and adults spent the night on the streets as there were not enough places in accommodation centers. Representatives of the Civil Guard called the situation a serious humanitarian crisis.

Spain deployed the military, but the city was not ‘captured’

Madrid sent 200 specially trained police officers and 60 military personnel to Ceuta. The army was supposed to help the Civil Guard restore control over the border, patrol the coast, and prevent new mass crossings.

Therefore, reports that migrants allegedly ‘captured Ceuta’ are an exaggeration. City authorities, police, the Civil Guard, and the Spanish army continued to work. However, for several hours, the border control system was indeed overloaded, and thousands of people managed to enter Spanish territory.

The Spanish Ministry of the Interior stated that human trafficking networks are using a recent court decision to spread rumors and encourage mass crossings. The ministry simultaneously emphasized cooperation with Morocco and reported that Moroccan forces prevented several thousand more attempts to cross the border. Madrid and Rabat agreed to strengthen coordination and expedite the return of people who illegally entered Ceuta.

The ultimate cause of such a sharp influx has not yet been established. It could be rumors of rule relaxation, actions of human traffickers, expectations of legalization in Spain, or a combination of several factors.

But the history of Ceuta shows: migration here has long been associated not only with poverty and the search for a better life but also with relations between Spain and Morocco.

Spanish city on the African shore

Ceuta is located at the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar — where the Mediterranean Sea connects with the Atlantic Ocean, and Africa almost touches Europe.

Strictly speaking, Ceuta is more accurately called a Spanish exclave: it is separated from the main territory of Spain and has a land border only with Morocco. However, in the media, the city is often called an enclave.

Together with Melilla (here it is on the map – https://maps.app.goo.gl/JgRGu39w2unA9ANY7), Ceuta forms the only land border of the European Union on the African continent. This is what turns a few kilometers of the city border into one of the most sensitive lines of the entire European migration system.

But the Spanish presence here did not arise during the European division of Africa in the 19th century. It is significantly older than modern Morocco, the Spanish protectorate, and the current borders of the region.

From the Phoenicians to the Roman city of Septem

The exact date of Ceuta’s founding is unknown. Archaeological and historical tradition links the first trading settlements in this area with the Phoenicians, who were exploring the western Mediterranean in the first millennium BC.

Later, the city was in the sphere of Carthage, and after its defeat, it came under Roman rule. The Romans called the city Septem Fratres, meaning ‘Seven Brothers,’ after the seven hills surrounding the settlement.

Gradually, the name was shortened to Septem or Septa. In Arabic, it turned into Sabta — Sebta, and then in Portuguese and Spanish tradition, it became known as Ceuta.

Roman Ceuta was a port, fortress, and trading center. Goods passed through it between North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. The city was also known for producing salted fish and fish sauces, supplied to various parts of the Roman Empire.

After the weakening of Rome, Ceuta came under the control of the Vandals, the Byzantine Empire, and possibly the Visigoths.

Seven centuries of a Muslim city

In the early 8th century, the city came under the control of Arab-Berber forces. Ceuta played an important role in the crossing of Muslim troops through the Strait of Gibraltar and the beginning of the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in 711.

In the following centuries, various Muslim states and dynasties that ruled North Africa and Al-Andalus fought for Ceuta. The city was controlled or contested by the Idrisids, Umayyads of Cordoba, Almoravids, Almohads, Marinids, and other regional powers.

It was a wealthy trading port through which gold, fabrics, grain, livestock, and goods from the interior regions of Africa entered the Mediterranean.

However, a unified modern Moroccan state within its current borders did not exist at that time. Control over Ceuta repeatedly shifted between states on both sides of the strait.

1415: Ceuta was conquered by Portugal

On August 21, 1415, the Portuguese fleet of King John I approached Ceuta. Portuguese troops landed and captured the city.

This happened 77 years before the fall of Muslim Granada and the completion of the Reconquista on the Iberian Peninsula. After the conquest, Ceuta remained a Portuguese-speaking city for over two centuries.

Portugal hoped to gain control over the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea, African trade, and gold delivery routes. The conquest of Ceuta is also considered one of the first steps in Portuguese overseas expansion.

Economic expectations were only partially met. Trade routes began to bypass the Christian-occupied city, and maintaining the fortress and garrison required constant supplies from Europe. But the strategic importance of Ceuta compelled Portugal to hold onto it.

How Portuguese Ceuta became Spanish

In 1580, a dynastic crisis began in Portugal. The Portuguese crown was acquired by the Spanish King Philip II. Spain and Portugal retained separate laws and administrations but came under the rule of one monarch.

Ceuta formally remained a Portuguese possession, but its residents swore allegiance to the monarch ruling from Madrid.

In 1640, Portugal revolted against the Spanish Habsburg dynasty and restored independence. Most Portuguese territories recognized the new King John IV, but Ceuta refused to side with him and remained loyal to the Spanish King Philip IV.

In 1641, the city requested inclusion in the Castilian crown. Finally, the Treaty of Lisbon in 1668 ended the war between Spain and Portugal: Spain recognized Portugal’s independence, and Portugal recognized Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta.

Thus, Ceuta became Spanish not as a result of Spain’s conquest of Morocco in the 20th century. The city was first conquered by Portugal, then independently remained loyal to the Spanish crown, and the transition was secured by an international treaty.

Traces of the Portuguese period have been preserved to this day. Ceuta’s flag is based on the black-and-white flag of Lisbon, and the city’s coat of arms has Portuguese origins.

Why Ceuta was not handed over to Morocco in 1956

In 1912, France and Spain established a protectorate over Morocco. The Spanish zone covered part of northern Morocco, including the Rif region.

However, Ceuta and Melilla were not legally part of the protectorate. They were considered separate Spanish possessions and only bordered Spanish-controlled Moroccan lands. Official materials from the Spanish Ministry of Defense explicitly state that the cities and other Spanish territories were not part of the protectorate.

When Morocco gained independence in 1956, Spain handed over the northern zone of the protectorate but retained Ceuta and Melilla.

For Madrid, these were not colonies subject to decolonization but parts of Spanish territory that had been under Spanish control long before the creation of the protectorate. Researchers of the Spanish-Moroccan border call this distinction one of the main reasons why both cities remained Spanish after 1956.

Morocco does not agree with this interpretation. Rabat claims rights to Ceuta and Melilla from the moment of gaining independence and considers them occupied Moroccan territories.

Modern Ceuta and the sovereignty dispute

In 1995, the Spanish parliament adopted the Statute of Autonomy of Ceuta. The law defined the city as an integral part of the Spanish nation and granted it its own self-governing bodies.

Today, Ceuta has a local assembly and government, uses the euro, participates in Spain’s political system, and is under the protection of the Spanish armed forces.

At the same time, the city remains a constant subject of dispute between Madrid and Rabat.

Spain considers the issue of Ceuta’s ownership closed and refuses to discuss the transfer of the territory. Morocco avoids direct military confrontation but periodically uses the issue of the cities in domestic politics and diplomatic relations with Spain.

Migration as a tool of pressure

The most notable crisis occurred in May 2021. At that time, about 8,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta in two days after control was relaxed on the Moroccan side.

The events were linked to Spain’s decision to admit Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali, who advocates for the independence of Western Sahara, for treatment. Relations between Madrid and Rabat sharply deteriorated, and the migration flow was perceived as a form of political pressure.

The current situation is different so far. The Spanish government emphasizes cooperation with Morocco and thanks its security forces for preventing thousands of crossings. There is no direct evidence that Rabat intentionally organized the July 2026 crisis.

However, the experience of 2021 makes it necessary to closely monitor not only migration statistics but also the political relations between the two states. The Moroccan side’s control over approaches to Ceuta can drastically change the situation in just a few hours.

The border where different eras collided

Today’s crisis in Ceuta appears modern: social networks, human traffickers, court decisions, European migration rules, army units, and an internal EU dispute.

But the very reason for the city’s particular vulnerability arose centuries ago.

Ceuta became significant due to its location at the Strait of Gibraltar. It was contested by Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Muslim dynasties, Portugal, Spain, and North African rulers. The city has always been a gateway between two seas and two continents.

Previously, Roman goods, African gold, Muslim armies, and Portuguese ships passed through these gates. Today, residents of Morocco and other African countries try to enter Europe through them.

That is why NANews — News of Israel views what happened not as an isolated attempt to breach a barrier. It is a new episode in the centuries-old struggle for control over the point where Africa meets Europe.

Ceuta remains Spanish territory, but its geography has not disappeared. A few kilometers of border continue to connect and simultaneously divide two continents, two political systems, and two completely different levels of life.

And the death of at least 18 people shows the cost of this border: behind historical treaties, questions of sovereignty, and European security are people who dared to enter the sea or rush into a stampede for a few meters of Spanish land.