HIBAPRESS – Mohammed Zeriyouh
In a surprising development that puts the security services in a state of emergency, immigration services in occupied Melilla have activated the "maximum alert" after the arrival of boats full of irregular migrants to the Chafarinas Islands, that isolated military area off the coast of Ras El Ma in the Nador region.
These astonishing movements occur in the heart of an area known to be fortified with the latest surveillance systems, reflecting how advanced technologies can become helpless in the face of a planned human deluge. The Chafarinas Islands are considered closed areas with a strict military character, under strict administrative supervision. Despite these restrictions, the arrival of migrant boats to these strategic islands raises intriguing questions about the effectiveness of security systems. How did they manage to infiltrate the heart of these islands despite all the strict measures? And have technological systems become helpless in the face of renewed smuggling methods? What complicates the scene is the increasing pressure on the security forces who are struggling to maintain control. Human smuggling networks, which have become more adept at smuggling people, are constantly developing new strategies to penetrate security systems. The island of Alborán, which was considered a focal point between an isolated navy, has become a place for migrants to wait before being transferred to Melilla, raising a big question: Are we facing new transformations in irregular migration routes? In response to this dangerous challenge, the Spanish army has intensified its technical presence in the islands, with the deployment of anti-drone systems and the development of new monitoring tools. The focus was initially on the Chafarinas Islands, but plans are expanding to include other areas such as Badis, in an attempt to improve early detection capabilities and counter any attempt at penetration. What is worrying is the growing coordinated crossing operations, with dozens of people arriving at the same time, reflecting the extent of the organization and preparation by smuggling networks. This escalation proves that these networks do not stop modifying their plans, to penetrate security pressures and advanced technologies, which makes this battle open on several difficult fronts.
