Spain’s Sánchez Rejects Claims Morocco Helped Orchestrate Ceuta Migrant Crossing

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has again rejected suggestions that Moroccan authorities helped orchestrate a deadly mass crossing of migrants into the Spanish territory of Ceuta, as political pressure mounts over the government’s handling of the humanitarian crisis.

Sánchez’s comments came a day after tens of thousands of people took part in demonstrations across Spain, protesting the continuing situation in Ceuta and calling for the prime minister to resign.

The crisis has intensified scrutiny of Spain’s relationship with Morocco and raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the unprecedented border breach.

Thousands Cross Into Ceuta

In late July, approximately 72,000 migrants reportedly attempted to enter Ceuta from Morocco, swimming across the border, scrambling over barriers and crossing into the Spanish exclave.

Ceuta has a population of roughly 84,000 people, meaning the arrival represented an enormous strain on the territory’s limited resources.

Most of those who entered were returned to Morocco or escorted back across the border within days. Spain’s national government says approximately 5,000 migrants, including about 1,200 minors, remained in Ceuta weeks after the incident, although the local government has cited a higher figure.

The Spanish government has also raised the reported death toll associated with the crossing.

Sánchez said 141 people died while attempting to reach Ceuta. However, neither his office nor Spain’s Interior Ministry was immediately able to explain how the revised figure had been calculated.

Authorities in Ceuta and Morocco’s National Human Rights Council had previously put the combined death toll at approximately 96.

Questions Over Morocco’s Role

The circumstances that triggered the mass crossing remain the subject of intense debate.

The Spanish government has attributed the surge partly to an online campaign on social media that encouraged migrants to attempt the crossing.

Earlier this week, Spanish media reported that a police document had highlighted the alleged permissiveness of Moroccan security forces during the incident.

Spanish officials rejected reports that the document directly accused Morocco of deliberately facilitating the crossing.

However, Sánchez offered a more pointed description of Morocco’s role on Thursday, saying that during a 10-hour period on July 30, when migrant arrivals reached their peak, Moroccan Gendarmerie forces “allowed the border to be crossed.”

At the same time, the prime minister continued to reject claims that Moroccan authorities had helped orchestrate the incident.

Diplomatic Tensions Rise

Sánchez’s government has generally sought to avoid direct criticism of Morocco, reflecting the importance of bilateral relations between Madrid and Rabat.

However, the Spanish prime minister criticised recent comments by two Moroccan ministers questioning Spain’s sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla, Spain’s two territories in North Africa.

Sánchez said his government had summoned Morocco’s ambassador in Madrid over the remarks.

The two Spanish territories are strategically significant because they contain the European Union’s only land borders with Africa.

Opposition Attacks Sánchez

The crisis has also become a major political issue in Spain.

Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo sharply criticised Sánchez during a parliamentary session, accusing the government of failing to adequately defend Ceuta and its residents.

“Us Spaniards at the same time perplexed and outraged in the face of the violation of our territorial integrity,” Feijóo said.

He added that millions of people who protested across Spain had sent a message of support to residents of Ceuta, saying they would not be left alone.

The demonstrations have added to mounting political pressure on Sánchez as his government faces criticism over its response to the border crisis.

Conflicting Government Accounts

The controversy has been compounded by conflicting accounts from Spanish government agencies over whether authorities had advance warning of the mass crossing.

Last week, the Defence Ministry said Spain’s intelligence service had provided prior warning of the planned border rush.

The Interior Ministry and other officials, however, disputed that account, adding to questions over whether Spanish authorities were adequately prepared for the influx.

Sánchez has promised to release key reports concerning the border breach, which has been described as the deadliest such incident in living memory.

The government has not yet provided a date for their release or detailed what information they will contain.

As pressure continues to mount, the reports could prove crucial in establishing what happened before and during the mass crossing, including the role played by Moroccan and Spanish security forces and the circumstances surrounding the deaths.