Spain accuses Morocco of failure in border control after migratory influx in Ceuta

To explain the migration crisis this summer in Ceuta, the Spanish Prime Minister decided on Tuesday to point out Morocco's failings. The socialist Pedro Sánchez has in fact attributed the recent crisis in the Spanish enclave located in North Africa to a failure of Moroccan border controls.

More than 70,000 migrants entered Ceuta on July 30 and 31, swimming or on foot from Morocco, during an unprecedented massive influx. Most returned to the Shereef kingdom in the hours that followed. However, several thousand remained in this Spanish territory, where the situation has since deteriorated, giving rise to violence and almost daily demonstrations by residents.

Spain asks Morocco to “act”

“We are investigating what happened during those days in July, but we have also asked Morocco to act and provide us with answers, because it is obvious that its border control has failed,” declared the head of the Spanish government during an interview with CNN in New York.

Speaking before Parliament on September 3, he indicated that Madrid must ask the Moroccan authorities for “explanations and changes” in order to prevent the influx of migrants into Ceuta from happening again. He also wanted to emphasize that there was no “solid evidence” indicating that Morocco had orchestrated this event.

A Spanish report critical of the Moroccan police

A Spanish police report shows that the number of Moroccan police officers present around the border post was “significantly lower than normal” and that the agents “made no serious effort” to stem the migratory wave. This document is based on satellite images, open access videos and testimonies from migrants.

Our articles on the crisis in Ceuta

Since then, the Spanish government has had to identify the thousands of migrants remaining in Ceuta to determine whether they are eligible for asylum. Unaccompanied minors cannot be subject to summary expulsion.