Ali Lmrabet: ‘An incursion into Ceuta without Morocco’s approval is simply impossible’
Translated from French and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
At a glance
- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez faced parliamentary questioning over the Ceuta crisis after more than 70,000 people entered the enclave in late July, most of whom have since returned to Morocco.
- A Spanish National Police report reportedly accuses Moroccan security forces of managing the flow toward predetermined locations.
- Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo again called for Sánchez’s resignation, while exiled Moroccan journalist Ali Lmrabet assessed the crisis’s implications for Spanish-Moroccan relations.
“An incursion into Ceuta without Morocco’s approval is simply impossible,” says exiled Moroccan journalist Ali Lmrabet, as Spain’s political crisis over the enclave intensifies.
An incursion into Ceuta without Morocco’s approval is simply impossible.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was forced to answer questions in parliament on Thursday after more than 70,000 people entered Ceuta in late July. Most of the Moroccans have since returned home, but demonstrations have continued in Ceuta and spread to other parts of Spain.
The pressure grew after a Spanish National Police report, disclosed on Wednesday and seen by Le Temps, directly implicated Moroccan security forces in the movement of people. The forces allegedly “managed the flow of people” toward predetermined locations. At the Cortes, opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo repeatedly highlighted Morocco’s role and again demanded Sánchez’s resignation, accusing the Socialist leader of being blackmailed by Rabat.
managed the flow of people
Lmrabet, who comes from northern Morocco, has lived in Spain for years. He was sentenced to prison in Morocco for “insulting the king” and is known as a prominent independent journalist who is particularly critical of Moroccan authorities. Spanish authorities also briefly detained him several weeks ago over alleged “dissemination of false information.” His Spanish phone had previously been hacked with Pegasus spyware.
insulting the king
He assesses the scale of the Ceuta crisis and what it could mean for relations between Spain and Morocco. Sánchez has so far refused to directly blame Rabat, despite mounting pressure from the opposition.
dissemination of false information
Originally published by Le Temps in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.