Ceuta and Melilla are holding their breath , with the specter of a new wave of migrants looming ahead of the August bank holiday. Madrid and Rabat are working to prevent this, although tensions between the two capitals have risen again in the last few hours, with the Moroccan government threatening to suspend the extradition agreement with Spain. This isn't a good time to rekindle controversy. For now, however, the collaboration seems to be working.
Hundreds of Moroccan riot police are deployed along the border with the Spanish exclaves , and numerous videos show the deployment of forces in Benzù, opposite the Tarajal crossing that separates Morocco from Ceuta, and along the access roads to M'diq, Tetouan, and their suburbs. Eight checkpoints patrol the approximately 80 kilometers of road connecting Tangier to Ceuta.
There are also images of Moroccan police dotting the beaches on August 15th, wearing helmets and shields, training for a possible new "assault." And then there are the new , tightly woven nets, attached to underwater reinforced concrete pylons : Fnideq is now impregnable from the sea. If that weren't enough, there are videos of large-scale raids deep in the forested mountains behind Ceuta, where sub-Saharan migrants typically gather after their long crossings. And the threat of water cannons, tear gas, and stun grenades. All filmed and posted online, for internet users to see and understand.
On the night between August 14th and 15th, the line separating Morocco from Catholic Spain will attract more attention than the solar eclipse.
On the other side of the border, the Spanish Civil Guard is patrolling land and sea with nearly 500 additional officers . A new barrier floats on Melilla's southern breakwater , similar to the one at El Tarajal in Ceuta. But local newspapers carry headlines: "Ceuta undefended," implying that officers aren't enough; laws are needed.
Meanwhile, the town is barricading itself as best it can, lowering the shutters even on a summer season that is now lost.
