Moroccan authorities have expelled reporting teams from Spanish news agency EFE and public broadcaster TVE from the border town of Fnideq.
The journalists were staying in local hotels to cover the border situation following social media calls for a mass migrant crossing into Ceuta on Saturday.
Hotels where the news crews were staying told the journalists they had received immediate eviction orders from local officials. Earlier, a representative from the Moroccan Interior Ministry instructed the crews to leave the town without giving an explanation for the decision.
The Moroccan official stated that he was merely complying with instructions. He warned the journalists that authorities could confiscate their press accreditations and equipment if they failed to leave the municipality, also known in Spanish as Castillejos.
Official responses and previous media dispute
EFE said it reached out to the Moroccan Interior Ministry for comment but received no immediate reply. The news agency also contacted the director of communication at Morocco's Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, who said he was working to clarify the situation.
EFE is Spain's national news agency, while TVE is the country's public television broadcaster. Both outlets maintain extensive coverage of Spanish-Moroccan relations and immigration along the North African border.
The expulsion follows a recent dispute involving Moroccan media. Morocco's second public television channel, 2M, reported earlier this month that Spanish authorities restricted one of its camera crews from entering Ceuta.
That restriction came after a mass border crossing in which more than 70,000 people entered the Spanish enclave. Humanitarian organisations reported that at least 141 people died during that incident.
Clashes and migrant interceptions at the border
Border tension escalated on Saturday as hundreds of migrants, mostly sub-Saharan, attempted to reach the frontier with Ceuta. Skirmishes broke out with Moroccan security forces in a mountainous area roughly three kilometres outside Fnideq.
Moroccan security sources told EFE that officers intercepted at least 294 migrants during operations to prevent the mass crossing attempt. The intercepted group included 248 sub-Saharan nationals and 46 Moroccans.
Fnideq is located in northern Morocco directly adjacent to Ceuta, a Spanish city situated on the North African coast. The border area serves as a primary transit point for migrants attempting to reach European territory.
