Spain’s PM says no evidence ‘whatsoever’ Morocco behind Ceuta border breach

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told parliament that no evidence exists that Morocco planned or facilitated the mass crossing of roughly 70,000 people into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in late July. He emphasized that neither Spain’s diplomatic service, the European Commission nor any international body has supplied solid proof of Moroccan involvement, and he denied any prior warning of the scale of the breach. Sánchez noted that Morocco’s ambassador was summoned on 21 August after two Moroccan ministers made “unacceptable statements” about Ceuta and the neighboring enclave of Melilla, but he maintained that, for now, the Moroccan government is not implicated, even though Moroccan forces allowed crossings during a ten‑hour window on 30 July.

The incident has sparked intense political fallout in Spain. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the People’s Party demanded Sánchez’s resignation, accusing him of incompetence and complicity, while far‑right Vox chief Santiago Abascal called for the removal of Morocco’s ambassador, suggesting Spain no longer needs one. The crisis also provoked a large protest in Madrid, with about 50,000 demonstrators marching against the government’s handling of the breach. Sánchez appealed for European solidarity, implicitly criticizing Italy and Denmark, which have publicly criticized Spain’s response, and stressed that the principle of solidarity should extend to Ceuta as it does to other EU territories such as Greenland and Lampedusa.

Most of the migrants—about 90 %—returned to Morocco within a day, but several thousand, including at least 500 minors, remain in Ceuta, living on the streets or in makeshift shelters. Sánchez warned that, under Spanish, EU and international law, migrants must be treated as individuals, not as “sacks of dirt,” and indicated that the government will likely invest in facilities to house the remaining people rather than relocate them to the mainland. He highlighted the stark economic disparity, noting Ceuta’s per‑capita income is eight times higher than Morocco’s, and warned that even a 100‑metre wall would not stop people willing to risk their lives to cross the frontier. Sánchez concluded that Spain will continue working until Ceuta emerges “stronger, more prosperous, and more integrated with the rest of Spain and the EU.”

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