Morocco says it alerted Spain weeks before at least 50 000 people crossed into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta last week, claiming a recent court decision would trigger a migration crisis that Spanish officials deny being warned about.
A senior Moroccan official, speaking on condition of anonymity on Monday night, said Rabat engaged with Madrid around 22-23 July after criminal networks began spreading information about a Spanish Supreme Court ruling from 8 July.
The ruling stated that migrants arriving by sea should not face immediate removal, unlike those entering by land.
“We discussed this ruling and its impact. We explained that this ruling was going to create a problem. And it did create a problem,” the official said.
Spanish government denies warning
Spanish government spokeswoman Elma Saiz rejected Morocco’s claims that advance warnings were given about the magnitude of the crisis.
“At no point was there any evidence, any report that alerted us to the magnitude of this unprecedented event,” she told reporters in Madrid.
The influx saw mostly Moroccan nationals enter Ceuta on foot or by swimming from the nearby Moroccan city of Fnideq, quickly overwhelming the North African exclave before thousands were returned to Morocco.
Madrid has blamed criminal gangs for spreading misinformation about the court ruling to encourage the crossings.
Morocco defends response to crisis
The Moroccan official rejected criticism of the kingdom’s security response, arguing that using force against such large numbers was not feasible.
“It’s simplistic to say that Morocco should just have used force to stop them. That is to completely misunderstand this phenomenon,” he said.
“At a certain point, the Moroccan law enforcement forces could no longer confront the migrants because the numbers were very large and because the pull effect was very strong.”
He added that migration management costs Morocco around 500 million euros annually and insisted it is not the kingdom’s sole responsibility.
Continued cooperation despite tensions
Despite the dispute over advance warnings, both officials stressed ongoing collaboration between the two countries.
The Moroccan official said Rabat and Madrid had acted “as reliable partners” and continued to work “in perfect coordination” on migration issues.
“Morocco’s commitment remains the same. It accepts the return of those who manage to cross. It puts in place preventive measures to stop as many departures as possible, and it will continue to do so,” he said.
Saiz acknowledged that Spain’s “exceptional response in such a short period of time” to the crisis would not have been possible without Morocco’s cooperation.
The official added that Spain now needs to find answers to the challenges posed by the court ruling.
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