/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

01 August 2026 12:58

🇸🇩⚔️🇸🇩 A new group of RSF fighters surrendered to the Sudanese military with their equipment in Omdurman on Friday after traveling from Bara, North Kordofan, Sudan Tribune reported, citing state media.

The group arrived after the military captured Bara, Jabrat al-Sheikh and two other strategic areas, securing a roughly 400-kilometer trade corridor linking Omdurman with the North Kordofan capital, El-Obeid.

Former RSF commander Al-Nour “Gubba” Adam, who defected in April, was among those receiving the fighters. He said defections were continuing and urged remaining RSF members to lay down their arms.

The latest surrender follows the arrival of 280 former RSF fighters in Omdurman on July 22 with 30 fully equipped combat vehicles, as Mada Masr reported. That force had served under Gubba before his defection. Its commander, Hussein al-Dodo, apologized to the Sudanese people for abuses committed while serving with the RSF.

Other prominent defectors include field commander Ali “Savanna” Rizgallah and Fares al-Nour, a former adviser to RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo who handled sensitive political and negotiation files.

🔗 Sudan Tribune

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

01 August 2026 12:33

🇨🇳 The IMF finds “China is backing strategic businesses, like green tech, while the west props up old sectors with political clout, like agriculture and the oil industry.”

In the West, the supremacy of capital disciplines the state to prop up high profits in old industries.

In China, the state creates markets and steers capital towards new strategic industries.

State-capital relations are key in understanding the China-west competitiveness divergence.

Real industrial policy is not throwing subsidies at corporations but leveraging and creating public and private capacity towards goals like a green transformation.

https://archive.is/20260801024453/https://www.ft.com/content/871976c7-8c4f-405e-803e-d86cf22bcf0f

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

01 August 2026 12:17

🇲🇦⚔️🇩🇿 Morocco and Algeria: A Strategic Rivalry Shaping the Maghreb

Since the end of the Cold War, the Morocco-Algeria rivalry has remained one of the most enduring and consequential fault lines in North African geopolitics. Despite repeated diplomatic freezes, military posturing, and ideological divergence, neither state has crossed the threshold into direct confrontation.

At the heart of this standoff lies a persistent cold war dynamic. For decades, Rabat and Algiers have circled one another with distrust, investing in their military arsenals and aligning with divergent global powers. Morocco, steeped in a long-standing alliance with the West (particularly the United States, with which it has maintained a diplomatic relationship since 1786), presents itself as a model of stability and transatlanticism. Algeria, by contrast, defines its geopolitical identity through the legacy of its anticolonial struggle, leaning toward Russia and the principles of the Non-Aligned Movement. But this is not an isolated feud, as the Morocco-Algeria rivalry reverberates far beyond North Africa. It intersects with Europe’s energy calculus, challenges American strategic planning in the Mediterranean, and complicates security cooperation in the broader Middle East. At stake is not just the influence both countries seek to exert within the region, but also the viability of multilateralism in a strategically vital corridor.

The enduring rivalry between Morocco and Algeria is less a product of recent diplomacy than the deep imprint of a history impacted by colonial boundaries, war, and decades of mutual distrust. Morocco emerged from French and Spanish colonial rule in 1956 with its monarchy intact and a strategic interest in restoring its pre-colonial borders. Algeria’s trajectory was far more harrowing as it was colonised by France in 1830 and treated not as a protectorate but as an extension of French territory. Algeria secured its independence after a devastating eight-year war, a struggle that not only birthed a fiercely republican state but also instilled a deeply rooted ethos of anti-colonial sovereignty, defining principles that would soon collide with Morocco’s regional ambitions. In 1963, barely a year after Algeria’s independence, tensions rose into open conflict during the Sand War. Moroccan troops crossed into Algeria, seeking to reclaim areas in Tindouf and Bechar, territories Rabat considered historically Moroccan. A ceasefire was reached in early 1964, but the war generated lasting suspicion, shaping bilateral relations for decades to come.

Yet it was not the Sand War, but the fate of Western Sahara that would become the defining fracture. When Spain withdrew in 1975, Morocco swiftly annexed the territory, branding it the “Southern Provinces”. Algeria, invoking its colonial doctrine, threw its weight behind the Polisario Front, a guerrilla movement demanding self-determination for the Sahrawis. Thus began the Western Sahara War, a 16-year struggle between Moroccan forces and the Polisario, the group backed, financed and sheltered by Algiers. For Morocco, Western Sahara offered not only historical symbolism but also tangible assets such as phosphate wealth, fishing grounds, and a critical Atlantic coastline. For Algeria, the annexation was unacceptable, so supporting the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic became both an ideological commitment and a strategic hedge against Moroccan expansionism. Although a ceasefire was reached in 1991 along with the promise of a referendum, Sahrawi independence has yet to be concluded.

In 2020, Morocco normalised relations with Israel through the US-brokered Abraham Accords. In return, Washington officially recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, prompting diplomatic regional upheaval and a red line crossed for Algiers. Algeria, deeply pro-Palestinian and wary of Israeli influence in North Africa, denounced the move as a betrayal. Tensions escalated quickly, and Algiers accused Morocco of sponsoring separatist movements within its own territory, condemning its alliance with what it called “the Zionist entity”. In August 2021, Algeria severed diplomatic ties entirely, marking the lowest point in bilateral relations in decades.

Continued ⬇️

🔗 https://esthinktank.com/2025/07/31/morocco-and-algeria-a-strategic-rivalry-shaping-the-maghreb/

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

01 August 2026 11:59

🇮🇹🤝🇸🇦🇰🇼🇧🇭❌🇮🇷– Italy has confirmed the existence of a strategic military deployment involving 400 Air Force personnel operating across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain.

➡️Active since the second half of March, the mission—dubbed Task Force Air-Arabia—was established following regional crises and formal requests for support from allied Gulf nations.

➡️The contingent is tasked with bolstering regional air defense, providing early warning capabilities, and safeguarding strategic infrastructure and national interests amid escalating tensions in the area.

@GeoPWatch

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

01 August 2026 01:04

🇺🇸🌚 — A SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage is expected to crash into the Moon on Wednesday after drifting through space for more than a year following the launch of two lunar landers in January 2025.

➡️ The abandoned rocket stage is predicted to strike the Moon at around 8,700 km/h (5,400 mph) near Einstein Crater on the Moon's sunlit western limb. The impact is expected to release energy equivalent to about three tons of TNT, creating a crater roughly 27 meters wide (90 feet) and 5 meters (16 feet) deep.

➡️ Although the brief impact flash is unlikely to be visible, scientists expect a plume of dust and debris to rise several kilometers above the surface and remain observable by telescopes for several minutes.

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 23:35

🇺🇸❌🇮🇷 — WSJ, citing U.S. officials, also reports that U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a heavy strike campaign against Iran that could be conducted this weekend.

WSJ reports the strike campaign would be a few days long and be aimed at getting Iran to return to the negotiating table.

WSJ citing U.S. officials also claims that Trump has been calling the Iranians "crazy" and became very frustrated at the Camp David meeting, suggesting more violent strikes to "break Tehran's will". Iran likewise doesn't trust the United States due to negotiations repeatedly breaking down and Trump repeatedly threatening military force, according to WSJ.

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 22:15

📝 🇪🇺 🇲🇦 EU sanctions could trigger an economic crisis in Morocco.

Europe buys over 60% of Morocco’s exports.

🔸 A 25% fall in EU exports could cut GDP by 1.8–2.8% and threaten 375,000 jobs

🔸 A 50% fall could reduce GDP by 3.5–5.6% and put 750,000 jobs at risk

🔸 A near-total cutoff could cause a 7–11% contraction and threaten 1.5 million jobs

If Rabat weaponises migration again, Europe must respond with coordinated economic measures.

📎 Marcos Agustín

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 22:06

🇪🇸 🇪🇸 🇲🇦 Falange Española de las JONS on X: Christian Spain, not Muslim.

📎 Falange Española de las JONS

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 21:47

🇺🇸❌🇮🇷 — New York Post, citing two sources, reports that CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper has drafted a plan for a two-week long large-scale bombing campaign against Iran.

It would be a sustained bombing campaign rather than the limited nightly strikes seen in the previous round of conflict, and would be the most significant military operation since the April 8 ceasefire.

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 20:23

🇺🇸🇯🇵 Washington has taken over the Bank of Japan

US Treasury’s Scott Bessent just casually revealed the “close coordination” with BoJ Governor Ueda, this is the smoking gun that America is dictating Japan’s interest rates.

The Bank of Japan today has decided to not to hike interest rates despite rising yields and a devaluing of the Yen

The US Treasury forced Japan to freeze hikes and keep the yen carry trade at the moment, wide open so Wall Street can keep siphoning free money.

The longer Japan delays the inevitable rate spike, the more catastrophic the unwind will be… markets will bleed, savings will evaporate, and the pain will be devastating and widespread.

Japan’s only escape hatch? They’re integrating digital assets into their economy and allowed treating Bitcoin and XRP as Corporate Treasury assets. The ultimate off-ramp from this dollar-dominated trap.

🔗 Stern Drew

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 19:53

🇪🇸🇲🇦La respuesta de un soldado a una mujer española de Ceuta al pedirle ayuda para despejar su barrio de inmigrantes ilegales:

"Estamos desbordados (...) No somos suficientes"

🇬🇧A soldier's response to a Spanish woman from Ceuta asking for help in clearing her neighbourhood of illegal immigrants:

"We are overwhelmed (...) We are not enough"

▫️@ENTRE_GUERRAS▫️

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 19:20

🇮🇹❌🇪🇸❌🇪🇺BREAKING: Italy suspends Schengen free movement with Spain following the Ceuta migrant crisis.

https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/flash/2026/07/31/-litalia-sospende-laccordo-schengen-con-la-spagna-_60788efd-ff25-4943-94bc-fc4cdb88e3fd.html

Follow @FelipeChannel

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 19:01

🇺🇸🇮🇶 The U.S. withdrew the 5 remaining MIM-104 Patriot SAM batteries from the Erbil Airport as the U.S. nears completing its long delayed withdrawal from Iraqi territory.

While American officials say the withdrawal is “routine” and part of a bigger plan to reduce U.S. presence in the Middle East, the American position in Iraq became untenable after the breakout of the 3rd Gulf War in February with American bases being placed effectively in a state of siege by Iranian and Iraqi PMF projectiles.

The withdrawal is no doubt an Iranian victory as without the Patriot batteries in Erbil, Iranian drones and missiles will have an easier time getting to Jordan and potentially, Israel.

However, the biggest losers from this decision to remove all U.S. forces from Erbil are the Kurds, who benefitted greatly from the presence of American air defenses. The loss of these systems will leave the Kurds at the mercy of Iranian commanders.

🔗 https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/07/us-nears-full-withdrawal-iraq-bases-kurdistan-region-face-attacks-iran-proxies

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 18:45

🇺🇸❌🇪🇸 The U.S. State Department blamed Spain for the migrant crisis in Ceuta and Melilla, despite Morocco being responsible for the crisis.

@CIG_telegram

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 16:54

⚽️ Europe announces FIFA boycott over Kushner-backed scheme to privatize World Cup

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) announced on 30 July a unanimous decision to withdraw from all future FIFA competitions in response to the proposed sale of 20 percent ownership stakes in the World Cup and other FIFA tournaments to private investors.

“UEFA and its national associations will not participate in FIFA competitions,” the statement read.

“Europe’s position is clear. We will never lend this model our legitimacy. No one has the moral authority to sell what they merely hold in trust for the next generation.” 

UEFA said all 55 of its member associations rejected FIFA's plan to sell ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors, describing the tournament as a sporting legacy built over generations by players, national teams, and supporters.

The body accused FIFA of drawing up the proposal in secret and bringing it close to approval without consulting the national associations, then presenting them with an ultimatum it said constitutes governance by intimidation.

UEFA warned that once outside investors hold stakes in FIFA competitions, decisions on the international calendar, competition formats, and the future of the game would serve shareholder returns rather than football.

“As a result of today’s discussion, no UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership.”

The statement ended by saying, “The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale.”

The decisive action followed the revelation of a $20-billion restructuring plan presented by FIFA President Gianni Infantino that would carve out FIFA’s commercial operations into a new subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise, and sell up to 20 percent of it to private investors.

The plan hinges on approval by FIFA's 211 national associations, each of which stands to receive $20 million for voting in favor, with the vote scheduled for 19 September.

Central to the proposal is a lead investment group, Thrive Eternal, backed by Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.

His involvement has drawn sharp criticism from European officials who accuse FIFA of enriching insiders at the expense of the game’s integrity.

The concerns over cronyism with the Trump family within FIFA are not unfounded, as the governing body is already facing a complaint over Infantino’s ties to the US president.

🔗 https://thecradle.co/articles-id/39106

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

01 August 2026 12:48

🌐🛰 Google has removed an AI image generator it integrated into Google Earth, one day after launch, after the internet was flooded with thousands of fake satellite images.

While Google claims the images carried a watermark to distinguish them from real satellite imagery, the watermark was not noticeable in most AI generated images

📝 Anon: 1. Censor every international satellite imagery provider to hide damage to your bases

2. When your opponent starts posting high res imagery of their own, bake AI editing tools directly into Google Earth so no one ever trusts satellite imagery again

There's no legitimate use case for this tool. None.

Step 3 will be to have a bunch of shady nominally pro-Iranian slop accounts post AI edited imagery, get caught and community noted.

Satellite imagery, unlike basically everything else, still carries some perception of authenticity in people's heads. It needs to be ruined.

🔗 https://www.digitaldigging.org/p/nano-banana-2-removed-from-google

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

01 August 2026 12:28

🇬🇧🛢 BP is putting its entire UK North Sea business up for sale, ending more than 60 years of direct involvement in the basin.

The assets produce around 117,000 boe/d, equal to 5% of BP’s global output, and employ 1,100 people.

This is bigger than one disposal.

BP is cutting debt, simplifying the company and walking away from an ageing, high-tax basin where output has collapsed from 4.5M boe/d in 2000 to about 1M today.

📝 Anon: Easily extractable (and profitable) oil is running out and fast.

🔗 Jack Prandelli

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

01 August 2026 12:06

🇪🇸🤝🇩🇿 Consider another explanation for Morocco's hostility towards Spain:

Just days before the Ceuta crisis, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez traveled to Algeria to restore diplomatic and economic relations after four years of tensions. The visit marked a major reset in Spain-Algeria relations after years of strained ties.

During the visit, Sánchez met with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and senior government officials. Both countries reaffirmed Algeria as one of Spain's principal strategic partners, discussed expanding energy cooperation, increasing Spanish investment, strengthening trade, coordinating on migration, and agreed to hold a new high-level bilateral summit later this year to deepen cooperation further.

Historically, when Spain has taken actions that Morocco views as contrary to its interests over Western Sahara, relations have at times deteriorated sharply. The clearest example came in 2021, when Spain allowed Polisario leader Brahim Ghali to receive medical treatment. Morocco strongly protested, recalled its ambassador, and during the ensuing diplomatic crisis, a mass migration event into Ceuta followed.

To understand why this matters, you have to understand the Western Sahara dispute.
Morocco considers Western Sahara an integral part of its territory and has proposed an autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty. The Polisario Front, backed primarily by Algeria, seeks independence for Western Sahara and has proclaimed the self-declared Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

This is why Morocco pays such close attention to Spain's relationship with both Algeria and the Polisario Front. Spain is the former colonial power in Western Sahara and remains one of the most influential European countries involved in the dispute. When Madrid takes steps that Rabat interprets as favoring Algeria or Polisario as happened with the Ghali case in 2021 it has, in the past, led to severe diplomatic crises.

There is another important point that is often overlooked. Morocco has never recognized Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla. To this day, Rabat officially considers both cities to be Moroccan territory under Spanish administration. While Morocco has generally pursued its claims through diplomatic channels, the status of Ceuta and Melilla remains one of the most sensitive issues in Spain–Morocco relations.

Does this mean Sánchez's visit to Algeria caused the current migration crisis? No, there is currently no public evidence to support that conclusion. However, given the events of 2021, Morocco's longstanding rivalry with Algeria, the central importance of Western Sahara in Moroccan foreign policy, and Morocco's official claim over Ceuta and Melilla, it is another plausible angle worth considering as events continue to unfold. It should be treated as a possibility based on historical precedent, not as an established explanation.

🔗 GeoInsider

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

01 August 2026 03:18

🌟 🇺🇸 🇻🇪 Venezuela earthquake relief:
Following the June 24 earthquakes, U.S. military forces worked hand-in-hand with State Department to turn logistics into life-saving action — rapidly deploying first responders, critical equipment, and relief assistance to the communities that needed it most.

At the direction of SOUTHCOM, the U.S. military supported U.S. government relief operations in the country.

📎 U.S. Southern Command

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 23:59

⚽️⚡️- FIFA has scrapped its plan to sell private investors shares in the World Cup following global backlash and the UEFA's threats to boycott future tournaments, according to the NY Post.

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 22:40

🇺🇸🇪🇸🇲🇦⚡️ — President Trump via Truth Social:

What’s happening with Spain, with tens of thousands of Illegal Immigrants invading it, happened in the United States during the Sleepy Joe Biden Administration, and it will happen again, only worse, if the Dumocrats ever again gain power.

DON’T LET OUR COUNTRY BE DESTROYED. VOTE REPUBLICAN, AND BE PROUD OF THE U.S.A.

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 22:14

🇪🇸🇲🇦⚡- "Morocco ‘facilitated migrant crossings’ into Spain.

Western intelligence suspects the north African country helped 60,000 cross into the tiny neighbouring territory of Ceuta," - The Telegraph.

Note, Belarus was heavily sanctioned and isolated from the European area over similar actions.

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 22:02

🇪🇸🇲🇦Imágenes de ayer que muestran a camiones marroquíes trasportando a cientos de personas a la frontera con España.

🇬🇧Images from yesterday show Moroccan trucks transporting hundreds of people to the border with Spain.

▫️@ENTRE_GUERRAS▫️

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 20:44

🇺🇸🇰🇼 Debasification: The U.S. is considering withdrawing part of its forces from Kuwait

In the decades since Kuwait’s liberation in the first Gulf War, the U.S. has used the oil-rich emirate as one of the Army’s biggest logistics hubs in the world, hosting thousands of troops, Abrams tanks and heavy artillery.

The American military footprint gave Kuwait a sense of security. Never again could a bigger, more powerful neighbor threaten it.

But the Iran war has undercut this arrangement for both Washington and Kuwait City. The U.S. is now rethinking the scope of its footprint in the emirate, said U.S. officials familiar with the deliberations, even as Kuwaiti officials have said they still need a firm commitment of American support.

The conflict has underscored the danger of a sustained campaign against Kuwait’s civilian infrastructure—and the vulnerability of longstanding U.S.-Kuwaiti defense ties.

“The attacks have made people in Kuwait think of the U.S. presence as a liability, but also as absolutely necessary to defend Kuwait,

Kuwait recently signed a new defense pact with Pakistan, which has played a mediating role in seeking to halt the U.S.-Iran conflict. There is no sign that Kuwait’s rulers are planning a fundamental shift away from heavy reliance on the U.S. as their main security partner. But they might press for new weapons and stepped-up air-defenses systems from Washington and other suppliers to counter the Iran threat.

What is more likely to spark changes in the relationship is a U.S. realization that a large, permanent troop presence in Kuwait is no longer critical or militarily wise, analysts said. The Pentagon was already thinking about drawing down its forces before the Iran war began, said current and former officials. In response to the Iranian attacks on American bases, the Pentagon has reduced its presence in Kuwait to minimize risk, U.S. officials said.

“The question really is, if the Iran war continues, whether that large of a U.S. presence still makes sense,” said Elizabeth Dent

For Kuwait, she added, the danger is that Washington’s commitment to its defense might decline if the Pentagon permanently shrinks its footprint.

https://archive.is/20260731012145/https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/the-u-s-liberated-kuwait-but-now-struggles-to-protect-it-from-iran-acb68e94

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 20:02

📖 🇪🇸 🚷 10,004,581 or 20.3% of Spain's total population is foreign-born, as of 1 January 2026.

The main nationalities of the immigrants were Colombian, Venezuelan, and Moroccan.

Previous data from the United Nations, shows that there were 5,947,106 immigrants in Spain in early 2018, totaling 12.8% of Spain’s population at the time.

https://www.ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/ECP4T25.htm

https://datosmacro.expansion.com/demografia/migracion/inmigracion/espana

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 19:20

🇲🇦❌🇪🇸 — Several Moroccans said to New York Times that Moroccan Royal police encouraged them to cross into Ceuta, with some Moroccan Border Guard officers telling migrants to “go that way” or “come to Spain.”

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 19:12

🇪🇸🇲🇦⚡️ — Spain says most of the more than 50,000 people who had crossed ​the border by land and sea into Ceuta are already heading back voluntarily.

➡️ 57 bodies have been recovered on the Spanish side of the border, and ‌there could be additional casualties on the Moroccan side.

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 18:51

🇺🇸 🇪🇸 🇲🇦 Trump on Spain:

I saw Spain yesterday. I watched the catastrophe that took place.

It looks like the invasion of a country by hundreds of thousands of people.

That same thing is going to happen to us if Republicans don't get elected, except worse—much bigger.

📎 Clash Report

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 17:11

🛢 The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) fell -3.8 million barrels last week, to 308 million barrels, the lowest since March 1983.

This marks the 18th consecutive weekly decline, the longest since 2023, per Zerohedge.

During this period, US oil reserves in the SPR have fallen -108 million barrels, or -26%.

Meanwhile, commercial crude oil stocks excluding the SPR dropped -7.2 million barrels, to 405 million barrels, the lowest since October 2018.

This is also ~7% below the 5-year average for this time of the year.

America's oil buffer is evaporating.

🔗 Kobeissi Letter

/CIG/ Telegram | Counter Intelligence Global

31 July 2026 16:45

🇪🇸 🇲🇦 🚷 About 60,000 migrants arrive in Ceuta in 24 hours, Spanish territory's leader says

The influx comes after Spain's Supreme Court ruled that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla, another Spanish exclave, cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.

Local officials had appealed to Madrid for help after a recent rise in attempted crossings, but there were chaotic scenes on Thursday as border controls apparently broke down.

Ceuta's President Juan Jesús Vivas said the situation was "unsustainable" and that the recent arrivals amounted to around 70% of the city's population - which sits at around 83,600 according to the latest local figures.

The last time there was a surge in arrivals - though on nowhere near this scale - was in 2021. At that point, the Moroccan authorities allowed some 8,000 people to cross the border following a dispute with Madrid over the sovereignty of the Western Sahara.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2kp639yx4o