Morocco rejects any involvement in the influx of migrants in Ceuta

Morocco affirmed Thursday that no “facts” established any involvement of the Moroccan authorities in the influx of migrants into the Ceuta enclave at the end of July, and said it refused to serve as a “scapegoat” for “settling of scores” in Spain.

This is the first official public reaction from Rabat since the events in Ceuta. “No data, fact or report establishes any involvement of the Moroccan authorities,” declared the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release broadcast by the official MAP agency.

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“The Kingdom of Morocco refuses to be a pre-electoral business and does not admit to being the scapegoat for settling political scores,” he added.

More than 70,000 migrants entered Ceuta

More than 70,000 migrants entered by force, on foot or by swimming, on July 30 and 31 in Ceuta, one of Europe's only two land borders with Africa and the other Spanish territory of Melilla. The influx left dozens dead and missing.

Most left immediately, but several thousand are still present today in Ceuta, many sleeping in the streets and on the beaches.

This statement from the ministry comes as suspicions about Morocco's possible responsibility have increased in recent days, after the leak of a police report reporting the “permissiveness” of Moroccan security forces during the unprecedented crisis.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has repeatedly assured him that he has “no proof” of Morocco’s involvement in the arrival of migrants, a position strongly criticized by several members of the Spanish opposition.