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Morocco Blames Misinformation and Court Ruling for Migrant Flows to Ceuta
🇩🇰 Denmark /Conflict & Security

Morocco Blames Misinformation and Court Ruling for Migrant Flows to Ceuta

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Context piece
  • Morocco's Interior Ministry attributes recent migrant flows to Ceuta to misinformation on social media, human smuggling networks, and a Spanish Supreme Court ruling.
  • Approximately 40,000 people entered the Spanish enclave from Morocco, while 1,135 were prevented from entering Melilla.
  • Eleven people died on the Moroccan side, mostly drowning while attempting to reach Ceuta.

Morocco's Interior Ministry has pointed to a combination of factors as the cause of the recent surge in migrants attempting to enter Spain's Ceuta enclave. In a statement released Sunday, the ministry cited misinformation circulating on social media, the operations of human smuggling networks, and a recent ruling by Spain's Supreme Court as key drivers of the influx.

This statement comes after tens of thousands of migrants crossed into Ceuta from Morocco earlier in the week. The ministry reported that approximately 40,000 individuals reached the Spanish territory. Additionally, Moroccan authorities prevented 1,135 people from entering the other Spanish enclave, Melilla, located on the Mediterranean coast.

The ministry also confirmed that 11 people lost their lives on the Moroccan side during the attempts to reach Ceuta, with most drowning. This marks the first official statement from the Moroccan side regarding the crisis, which saw an unprecedented number of arrivals in a short period.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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