Spain Accuses Morocco of Orchestrating the Migration Crisis in Ceuta — euractiv
In a classified report, the Spanish National Police suggested that Moroccan authorities may have orchestrated a mass influx of migrants into the enclave of Ceuta in late July. According to media reports, the goal may have been to destabilize the situation along the border.
The report by the National Center for Immigration and Borders (CENIF), cited by the media, states that Moroccan gendarmes allegedly escorted thousands of migrants toward the Ceuta border.
The document states that the “planning and execution” of the crossing on July 30–31, during which tens of thousands of people arrived in the enclave, were controlled by Moroccan agents. Preliminary estimates suggest the number of participants may have reached 80,000, with more than 100 people killed.
The report was prepared at the request of Spain’s National Court, which is conducting a preliminary investigation into the circumstances of the large-scale border crisis. The incident is described as one of the most serious national security crises Spain has faced in recent years.
According to CENIF’s findings, the aim of the operation was to overwhelm Spanish security forces in Ceuta. Intelligence agencies link this to Morocco’s territorial claims on Ceuta and Melilla—Spanish enclaves in North Africa.
Jorge Descalgar, Spain’s former ambassador to Morocco and former head of the National Intelligence Service, had previously emphasized that Morocco’s claims to these territories were one of the key factors in the crisis.
About 70,000 people who had entered Ceuta voluntarily returned within a few hours.
The publication of the report sparked a political scandal in Madrid. Representatives of various political parties are criticizing the Socialist government of Pedro Sánchez for taking too soft a stance toward Rabat.
Sánchez himself had previously called the mass border crossing “a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity.” At the same time, Madrid has not taken any concrete measures against its strategic partner.
Source: euractiv.
Spain has asked the EU for help with migrants in Ceuta.
On Thursday, riots broke out in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa, involving local residents and law enforcement officers. The clashes occurred a month after a mass influx of migrants from Morocco.
As a reminder, in Ceuta, protesters set parts of a migrant camp on fire and clashed with police.
More than 50,000 migrants have entered the Spanish enclave of Ceuta illegally.
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