Spanish Prime Minister Denies Morocco Helped Organize Deadly Ceuta Migrant Surge

Pedro Sánchez has rejected accusations that Morocco helped organize the mass migrant entry into Ceuta, even as the Spanish prime minister faces growing political pressure over the crisis.

Speaking to lawmakers, Sánchez said no Spanish institution, diplomatic service, European Commission body or international organization had provided firm evidence that Morocco planned or carried out the incident. “I can assure you that no institution, neither the diplomatic service, nor the European Commission, nor any international body, has provided the Spanish government with solid evidence that Morocco planned or carried out that incident. Not one!” he said.

Spanish media reported this week that a police report pointed to alleged leniency by Moroccan police during the late-July entry. Spanish officials denied that the document assigned responsibility to Rabat.

Around 72,000 migrants entered Ceuta by swimming or running across the border, according to the account. Most returned to Morocco on their own or were sent back within several days. About 5,000 people remain in the enclave, including 1,200 minors. Sánchez said 141 people died while trying to reach the town, but neither his office nor Spain’s Interior Ministry explained how that figure had been calculated.

Tens of thousands of people protested across Spain on Wednesday over the humanitarian crisis and called for Sánchez to resign. The protests have intensified scrutiny of the government’s handling of an episode that involved Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa with a population of about 84,000.

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I can assure you that no institution, neither the diplomatic service, nor the European Commission, nor any international body, has provided the Spanish government with solid evidence that Morocco planned or carried out that incident. Not one!