Morocco denies involvement in migrant influx into Spain’s Ceuta

RABAT — Morocco said on Thursday there was no evidence establishing Rabat’s involvement in the mass migrant crossing into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta in July.

More than 70,000 migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco on July 30 and 31 in an unprecedented, chaotic surge that left scores dead and sparked European Union infighting over the touchy issue of migration.

While most have ⁠since returned, more than 100 people died, according to local officials and civil organizations.

Local authorities say thousands, including unaccompanied minors, remain in the enclave where they are living in makeshift camps or on the streets and beaches. Their presence has fuelled near-daily protests by residents angry at the Spanish ‌government’s handling of the crisis.

Spain’s opposition parties have since targeted the government’s relationship with Morocco and accused Rabat of facilitating or orchestrating the crossing.

The Moroccan foreign ministry said there were “no facts or reports proving any involvement by the Moroccan authorities.”

The ministry added that Rabat refused to become the “scapegoat for political score-settling” in Spain.

The statement marked the kingdom’s first official reaction to a Spanish police report accusing Morocco’s security forces of “total permissiveness” when the mass crossing took place.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has consistently avoided blaming Morocco, noting that there was no “solid proof” that the North African country orchestrated the migrant rush.

On Wednesday, Spain declassified intelligence reports that had warned of potential “mass entries” by migrants into Ceuta just before the incident happened.

A declassified military intelligence document on July 30 states that it is “highly likely that the Moroccan authorities are not actively encouraging the migratory wave, but have so far acted in a negligent and passive manner.”

But Sanchez with the information available, “no one could have foreseen the migration crisis that unfolded.”

Sanchez had told parliament when he announced he would declassify these 40 documents that there was “no information that conveyed the magnitude” of “the crisis we were going to suffer” on July 30 and 31.

“Internal communications have been detected in migrant groups in which they are trying to organize mass entries on the night of 29/07/2026,” reads a document from CENIF, a border division of the National Police, issued on the eve of the arrival of more than 70,000 migrants in the small Spanish territory.

CENIF said almost 1,000 people swam in from Morocco between July 1 and 28 — “a drastic upward trend compared to last year,” and “a consolidated and priority threat”.

An urgent memo from the National Intelligence Centre on the afternoon of July 29 warns of “several calls to carry out entries into Ceuta” in Facebook groups, one of them with over 160,000 members.

In a message on X Wednesday, Sanchez said that “with the information available at the time, no one could have foreseen the migration crisis that unfolded on the 30th and 31st. No competent body did so. Neither in Spain nor in the EU.”

The opposition accused the government of failing to act despite being warned about what was going on.

“The government knew everything that was happening… They had the information. They are directly responsible for the invasion of Ceuta,” Ester Munoz, spokeswoman for the right-wing Popular Party in parliament, told reporters.

Morocco’s foreign ministry instead questioned Spain’s handling of the crisis.

“Why are illegal migrants not being turned back when the Moroccan government has officially agreed to readmit them?” the statement said.

“Why are unaccompanied minors being kept away from their families when Morocco has urgently requested their return?“

“The answer to these questions is not to be found in Morocco, but rather with the relevant Spanish stakeholders,” the ministry said.

Still, Rabat called the crisis “regrettable” and said the events warranted “a thorough examination” to establish their circumstances and “ensure that they do not happen again.”

The ministry also stressed the importance of ties with Madrid, saying Morocco had chosen to pursue relations based on “good neighborliness, political understanding, economic partnership, and security cooperation.”

Morocco also noted that Spain was its leading economic partner.

The EU on Wednesday said it was granting Spain 115 million euros ($130 million) in emergency aid to help bolster border security and assist returns.