Morocco not to blame for Ceuta border breach, says Spanish PM

As many as 141 people are thought to have died trying to cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta at the end of July and the start of August. Photograph: Abdel Majid Bziouat/AFP/Getty Images View image in fullscreen As many as 141 people are thought to have died trying to cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta at the end of July and the start of August. Photograph: Abdel Majid Bziouat/AFP/Getty Images Morocco not to blame for Ceuta border breach, says Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez says two countries are cooperating after mass incursion by 70,000 people into north African enclave Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has insisted there was no evidence to suggest the Moroccan government was behind last month’s massive border crossing into Ceuta. As many as 141 people are thought to have died trying to enter the Spanish enclave at the end of July. The influx of about 70,000 men, women and children unleashed a political crisis, a humanitarian emergency and reignited tensions over Immigration within the EU. Although the overwhelming majority of the migrants crossed back into Morocco weeks ago, hundreds of people, including minors, are still on the streets of Ceuta, leading to tensions with residents. Despite speculation that Rabat may have engineered the mass crossing as a means of showing its displeasure at Spain’s rapprochement with Algeria, Sánchez said there was nothing to indicate the involvement of the Moroccan authorities. “There’s no information from any intelligence agency that raises doubts over the involvement of Moroccan authorities,” he told Cadena Ser radio on Monday. “Cooperation with Morocco is frankly positive. I’d like to stress that we need to be aware that this crisis can be resolved only through cooperation – and not through a lack of trust in Morocco, which would only further aggravate the already complex situation we have in Ceuta.” The prime minister once again pointed the finger at “criminal gangs” who had used disinformation to falsely claim that a ruling by Spain’s supreme court meant that no one who entered Ceuta by swimming could be deported back to Morocco. View image in fullscreen Pedro Sánchez says about 1,500 migrants remain in Ceuta after the border breach. Photograph: Jaime Reina/AFP/Getty Images He also said fake news had been pumped out on social media accounts “associated with Russia, Israel and the international far right that always use migration to attack not just Spain but also Europe”. Sánchez said that about 1,500 migrants remained in Ceuta, of whom 1,200 are minors, and there would soon be “sufficient capacity” to accommodate all those still in the enclave. Their continuing presence has led to clashes between some Ceuta residents and police, while some of the migrants have had their belongings burned while sleeping rough on beaches. On Saturday, four Moroccan migrants were arrested for throwing stones at Spanish soldiers. Spain’s conservative People’s party has accused the government of failing to protect the people of Ceuta. “It did nothing to avoid the invasion on 30 July and it’s doing nothing to stop the public order crisis that’s getting worse every day,” the PP’s leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, said last week. Explore more on these topics Spain Morocco Migration Africa Europe Middle East and north Africa news Share Reuse this content