Ceuta Leader Criticizes Morocco, Accusing It of Fueling Migrant Crisis

The head of the regional government of Ceuta, a Spanish enclave grappling with a massive border-crossing crisis, has accused neighboring Morocco of effectively fueling the situation.

In an interview with the Spanish daily El País on August 3 (local time), Juan Jesús Vivas, President of Ceuta, stated, "People do not see this as a migration crisis," arguing that the incident is "fundamentally an aggression and a violation of Spain's territorial integrity."

He added, "Residents felt that, even if Morocco did not orchestrate this, it at least encouraged or permitted it."

Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles also made remarks suggesting Morocco's potential involvement in the crisis.

Speaking to reporters that day, Robles said, "Neither Spain nor Morocco should look away from this tragedy," adding, "We ask the Moroccan government to thoroughly investigate this situation."

The British media outlet The Guardian reported that assessments from Spanish intelligence agencies also lend weight to the theory of Moroccan backing.

Spanish intelligence reportedly concluded that while Moroccan authorities did not pre-plan the massive influx of migrants, they failed to stem the flow of people rushing toward the border and, in some cases, aided their movement.

Analysts in Spain suggest that Moroccan authorities may have backed or turned a blind eye to the border crossings out of dissatisfaction with recent diplomatic efforts and improving relations between Spain and Algeria, with which Morocco has strained ties.

Additionally, foreign media reported that the backdrop to the border-crossing crisis involved misinformation spreading rapidly on social media surrounding a ruling by Spain's Supreme Court.

The ruling stated that migrants arriving by sea cannot be immediately expelled without due legal process. However, claims distorting this into a message that the border was open spread rapidly online.

While this misinformation circulated, border surveillance by Moroccan authorities was reduced to a minimum, and by late last week, surveillance was effectively lifted, leading tens of thousands of people to flock to the border, according to reports.

On July 30 and 31 in Ceuta, a Spanish autonomous city in North Africa, border control collapsed as some 60,000 migrants suddenly poured in from neighboring Morocco, resulting in 72 deaths so far.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.