Spanish PM Sanchez: no 'solid proof' Morocco orchestrated Ceuta migrant rush
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told parliament that no solid evidence has been found showing Morocco planned or carried out July's mass border crossing into Ceuta. He acknowledged, however, that Moroccan police allowed crossings during a key period.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told the lower house of parliament on Thursday that the government has no solid evidence that Moroccan authorities planned or organized the deadly mass border rush into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in July.
His remarks followed a police report made public this week alleging that the mass entry was not a spontaneous migration event but a planned, phased operation aimed at overwhelming border controls.
Sanchez said that no institution — not Spain's diplomatic service, not the European Commission, nor any other international body — has given the Spanish government solid evidence that Morocco planned or carried out the incident.
He did acknowledge, however, that Morocco's Gendarmerie police allowed crossings to take place during a critical 10-hour window on July 30, when the number of migrant arrivals peaked. Spanish authorities have not yet determined whether this resulted from an inability to contain the surge or a deliberate decision not to act.
Details from the police report
According to the police report, seen by Reuters, Moroccan security forces were initially deployed in smaller numbers than usual near the Tarajal breakwater separating the enclave from Morocco, and did not make a serious effort to disperse the crowds. Some uniformed Moroccan officers reportedly pointed people toward the crossing point, while other unidentified individuals appeared to guide or monitor the flow of migrants.
The report did not name specific officers, nor did it provide independently verified evidence of direct orders from Moroccan authorities. Moroccan officials have denied facilitating the crossing.
