Morocco expels EFE and TVE reporters from Castillejos near Ceuta
Hotels were told to evict the reporters and Moroccan officials warned accreditations and equipment could be seized.
Morocco ordered reporters from the Spanish news agency EFE and public broadcaster TVE to leave the town of Castillejos, near the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, after they were covering the situation of irregular migrants there.
Staff at the hotels where the journalists were staying told them they had received instructions from local authorities to vacate their rooms immediately.
Moroccan authorities give no public explanation
A representative of the Moroccan Ministry of Interior asked the EFE and TVE reporters to leave the town without offering any explanation for the decision. The official said "is following instructions" and warned that their press accreditations and equipment could be seized if they did not leave Castillejos.
EFE said it contacted the Moroccan Ministry of Interior, which had not yet responded. The agency also reached out to the communications officer at the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication, who said they were attempting to clarify the situation.
The expulsions come amid heightened attention to migrant crossings in the Ceuta area; journalists present in border towns have faced restrictions in recent episodes as authorities manage sensitive migration and security operations.
Photo: Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP / Profimedia
