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Spain’s interior ministry on Wednesday denied the existence of a police report alleging that Morocco orchestrated July’s massive migrant surge into the North African enclave of Ceuta.
The denial comes as Madrid works to preserve delicate diplomatic ties with Rabat following an unprecedented and deadly incident where over 70,000 migrants crossed into Spanish territory in two days.
Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez previously dismissed Moroccan involvement, emphasising the critical need for bilateral cooperation after Rabat agreed to readmit most of the migrants.
The official response refutes a report published by right-leaning online newspaper El Español, which claimed the police’s National Centre for Immigration and Borders (CENIF) concluded that Moroccan security forces guided the surge for non-migratory objectives.
Following an investigation requested by Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, National Police Director Francisco Pardo confirmed that no such police report attributes the execution or planning of the crisis to Moroccan authorities.
Ceuta and Melilla represent the European Union’s only land borders in Africa, and Morocco’s sovereignty claims over both enclaves have long strained relations with Spain.
While analysts speculate Rabat may have allowed the border crisis to pressure Madrid following Prime Minister Sanchez’s recent visit to Algeria, Spanish officials continue to emphasise regional security cooperation over border control.
