Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Monday there is no evidence Moroccan authorities were involved in the recent surge of migrants arriving in Ceuta.
The statement aims to stabilize diplomatic relations between Spain and Morocco during a period of intense border pressure. Any confirmed state involvement in the movement of people could trigger a geopolitical crisis in North Africa.
Sánchez addressed the situation on Aug. 31, and said that claims of Moroccan involvement are unsubstantiated [1]. He said the allegations appear to be part of a broader disinformation campaign linked to geopolitical tensions [5].
"There is no evidence that Morocco is behind the surge of migrants crossing into Ceuta," Sánchez said [1].
The scale of the arrivals has put significant pressure on the Spanish enclave, which borders Morocco on the north coast of Africa [2]. Reports on the number of migrants vary, with estimates ranging from more than 70,000 [4] to 80,000 [1]. Other reports describe the scale more generally as tens of thousands [2].
Sánchez previously addressed the lack of proof regarding the Moroccan government's role in the crisis [2]. He said, "We have no proof that Morocco played any role in what happened in Ceuta" [2].
While the Prime Minister dismissed Moroccan state involvement, other reports suggest external actors are exploiting the instability. Some sources indicate that Russia and Israel are using the crisis to spread disinformation online [5].
“"There is no evidence that Morocco is behind the surge of migrants crossing into Ceuta."”
By publicly exonerating Morocco, the Spanish government is prioritizing regional stability and bilateral cooperation over the political pressure to assign blame for the border crisis. This move suggests that Spain views the risk of a diplomatic rupture with Rabat as a greater threat than the domestic political fallout from the migrant surge, especially if the instability is being fueled by external disinformation campaigns.
