The Ceuta border fence is a separation barrier between Morocco and Spain by Ceuta, a city in the North African coast. Constructed by Spain, its purpose to stop illegal immigration and smuggling.
Morocco objected to the construction of the barrier since it does not recognize Spanish sovereignty in Ceuta.
The fence consists of parallel 3-metre (10-foot) fences topped with barbed wire, with regular watchposts and a road running between them to accommodate police patrols or ambulance service in case of need. Underground cables connect spotlights, noise and movement sensors, and video cameras to a central control booth; dozens of Guard ships and patrol boats check the coast, while 621 Guardia Civil’s officers and 548 police officers control the shore.
On September 29, 2005, the border-fence was assaulted by hundreds of migrants simultaneously, grabbing international media attention. Caught between the Spanish rubber bullets and Moroccan gunfire, a number of migrants died (some sources put the casualties as high as thirteen people, or even eighteen.) and more than fifty were injured. Some of the dead were wounded by live ammunition; from those, two died at the Spanish side of the fence, apparently shot from the Moroccan positions.
Since then, migrants have occasionally died while trying to break through the fence.