Morocco arrests 231 illegal sub-Saharan migrants

More than 400 sub-Saharan migrants tried to force their way into the Spanish coastal enclave of Ceuta on Tuesday, and 231 of them were arrested by Moroccan security forces, local radio reported.
The rest fled to the neighboring forest and no migrants managed to breach into the coastal city, the radio added.
It was the latest in a series of attempts by sub-Saharan migrants who tried to reach Europe via the territory on Morocco's northern shore.
Each year thousands of migrants fleeing hardship try to cross the fences surrounding Melilla and Ceuta, two Spanish territories bordering Morocco which have Europe's only land borders with Africa.
Around 16,000 illegal African migrants have tried to infiltrate Melilla during the past eight months, according to Spanish government figures.
Large numbers of Moroccan and Spanish security forces have been deployed on both sides of the fenced border to prevent entry of the illegal migrants.