Morocco says Spain should have foreseen migration impact of court ruling
Morocco said misinformation and trafficking networks misread a July 8 court ruling, helping drive a surge that left at least 72 dead, officials said.
- Spanish authorities should have predicted that a July 8 court ruling limiting the immediate return of migrants arriving by sea would spur a migration surge into Ceuta, resulting in around 40,000 people entering the enclave and 72 deaths on the Spanish side.
- Around 69,500 migrants returned from Ceuta to Morocco, while thousands remained in Ceuta, creating a complex humanitarian issue.
- Misinformation, human trafficking networks, and misinterpretations of the court ruling fueled the influx, with social media falsely suggesting Spain's border was open.
- Morocco and Spain continue cooperation on migration, but Morocco believes Spain must restore deterrence and emphasizes that migration management requires shared global responsibility.
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European Union interior ministers praised Spain for its swift handling of the situation in Ceuta, which was seized by migrants from Morocco last Thursday, at a meeting on Tuesday. They said Madrid's response to the situation was effective, and EU migration commissioner Magnus Brunner called the events a test of resilience for the EU.
The messages and videos published on Facebook, TikTok or Instagram seem to have contributed significantly to the influx of candidates for exile in Ceuta at the end of July. At this stage, there is no evidence that it could have been a destabilizing operation.
Ceuta migrants caught between humanitarian disaster and diplomatic row
While most of the estimated 50,000 migrants who arrived last week in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta have returned to Morocco, theories are circulating about what led to the mass arrival. RFI spoke to Spanish journalist Ignacio Cembrero, who specialises in migration between Spain and Morocco.
According to a senior official, Rabat had conveyed concern over the Supreme Court ruling preventing immediate repatriation of those arriving at the enclave by sea.
A few days after the mass demand of migrants for the Spanish exclave Ceuta, a Moroccan government representative rejects his country's responsibility for this. A Spanish court ruling was much more likely to have contributed to the rush.
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