Tens of thousands of migrants have streamed into the tiny Spanish territory of Ceuta in North Africa from Morocco, with at least 67 dying in the attempt, prompting Spain to deploy its military to restore the border.

Videos and images from the frontier showed crowds of people, mainly Moroccans, walking around the breakwaters at an urban beach near a border checkpoint with Morocco onto local roads.

The majority looked to be young men, though there were also families with women and children.

The escalation at the frontier comes after a surge in migrants attempting to reach the small enclave, mainly by swimming, a day before.

It was not immediately clear what prompted so many people to cross to Ceuta.

So where is Ceuta, what is going on and why is it happening? 

An autonomous Spanish city in continental Africa

Ceuta and the larger Spanish territory of Melilla that is some 400 kilometers east, are located on the northern shores of the Mediterranean coast at the tip of Africa.

Both autonomous cities belong to Spain and share the European Union's only land borders with Africa.

In Spanish possession since 1580 and part of Spain since 1688, Ceuta is home to a mixed population of Christians and Muslims, and Spanish and Moroccan residents and day workers who live in relative harmony.

Morocco does not officially recognize Ceuta and Melilla as Spanish territory, and often refers to them as occupied lands.

Spain retains the two North African enclaves because they have been under Spanish rule for more than five centuries - long before the modern Moroccan state emerged - and because the vast majority of their residents are Spanish citizens who want to remain part of Spain.

Both port cities have historically served as strategic military and trading hubs linking Europe and Africa. Since 1995, they have held autonomous status, with a limited degree of self-government.

A migration and diplomatic flashpoint between Spain and Morocco

The city of 85,000 has been a flashpoint in major diplomatic crises in recent memory between Madrid and Rabat.

In May 2021, the Moroccan government dropped its border controls and let some 8,000 people from Morocco and sub-Saharan countries pour into Ceuta in just two days.

The move was broadly interpreted as retaliation from Morocco for Spain's decision to allow a pro-independence leader from the disputed Western Sahara region to receive medical treatment at a Spanish hospital.

Tensions were defused and the border restored only after Spain's prime minister shifted his country's long-standing position on Western Sahara, and met with Moroccan King Mohammed VI the following year.

A destination for migrants trying to reach Europe

Spain is a main point of arrival into Europe for migrants seeking better economic opportunities or an escape from violence in their home countries.

Ceuta and its sister city Melilla are heavily fortified, as the territories are seen as a destination for those trying to reach Spain from Morocco and other parts of Africa.

Many migrants who reach Ceuta or Melilla are immediately turned back, while others held in migrant shelters are processed and can apply for asylum in Spain.

To reach Ceuta, migrants often swim from the Moroccan town of Fnideq, covering about 5 kilometers to reach Spanish territory. Others attempt the crossing from the nearby town of Belyounech, where the distance is shorter.

Still, migrant arrivals to Ceuta and Melilla are generally much lower than those reaching Spain through the Canary and Balearic Islands.

Spain's overall immigrant population has grown considerably in recent decades, with around 10 million people in the country of 50 million born elsewhere.

Many are from Colombia, Venezuela and Morocco, and work in key sectors of the Spanish economy, including agriculture, tourism and the service sector.

Migrant crisis triggers EU response

The sudden influx of tens of thousands of migrants triggered a response from leaders of 22 EU nations who have called for an emergency meeting to discuss the bloc's response after tens of thousands of migrants arrived in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta in North Africa this week.

In a letter, the member states called for "an extraordinary video conference of the Ministers of the Interior", describing it as a "matter of urgency".

Although Madrid says that almost all of the roughly 60,000 migrants who crossed into Ceuta from Morocco on Thursday have been returned, the EU leaders said they retained "serious" concerns about the situation.

The 22 leaders said the meeting should be used to develop a "common assessment of the situation" in Ceuta and reach an "agreement on a coordinated European response".

"We cannot allow uncontrolled mass crossings, the instrumentalisation of migration or other hybrid threats to create the perception that illegal entry into the European Union is possible," the signatories said, adding that they would consider "any necessary measures" to address such risks, "including through reinforcing or reintroducing temporary internal border controls".

"Such a perception would encourage further attempts, undermine confidence in our common migration policy and have repercussions for all Member States," the letter continues.

The letter also pointed to the Spanish government's decision to grant legal status to some unauthorized migrants as a "pull factor" that may have contributed to the crisis, a claim Madrid has disputed.

Italy moves to suspend border-free arrangements

It comes as Italy said on Friday it was suspending the EU's border-free Schengen arrangements with Spain for one month in response to the mass influx of migrants into Ceuta.

However, the government said the measure would not affect Spanish or other EU citizens traveling to Italy and would instead involve targeted checks on non-EU nationals arriving from Spain by air or sea.

"This is an extraordinary measure, adopted to safeguard national security and prevent possible repercussions for our nation," Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.

"The measure will be kept in force only for the time necessary, with particular attention to limiting any impact on summer tourist flows."

Italy, which does not share a land border with Spain, also said it had agreed with Paris to strengthen controls along the Franco-Italian frontier to try to prevent undocumented migrants from crossing.