The Ministry of Defense has ordered the suspension of all leave for the military personnel deployed in Ceuta following the crisis triggered in the autonomous city due to the irregular entry of 72,000 immigrants from Morocco in just 48 hours, according to sources from the Ministry of Defense. The General Command of Ceuta takes this step, which requires the military to remain fully available in the coming days, in order to have maximum operational capacity in the face of the risk of a new mass crossing, which is being called for on social networks for next Saturday, August 15.
The order, reported by Cadena Ser, was communicated yesterday afternoon to the personnel assigned to various units in the city. From the battalion of the general command headquarters to the regulars group, including the cavalry, engineers, or artillery regiments. Also to the health services of the command. The reason, although brief, is clear: service needs require increasing the activities of the units in the context of the migration crisis. The statement informs that the suspension will remain until further notice, although it notes that exceptions duly justified could be considered.
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Both the Ministry of the Interior and Defense have reinforced their deployments in Ceuta in recent days. The department led by Fernando Grande-Marlaska deployed a new police intervention unit over the weekend, the so-called riot police, made up of 45 agents to strengthen the presence. Two new frigates, the Santa María and the Navarra, also arrived in Ceuta, operating in the southern bay, where the El Tarajal breakwater is located, as part of the extraordinary device activated to face the migration crisis. Both frigates joined the Maritime Action Ship (BAM) Rayo and the logistic support ship.
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