Pedro Sánchez denies Moroccan role in Ceuta migrant surge as 100,000 protest in Spain

Parliamentary defense

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez addressed a special parliamentary session in Madrid on Thursday to defend his government against mounting criticism over the Ceuta border crisis. More than 70,000 people entered the North African enclave from Morocco on 30 and 31 July, leaving scores dead from drowning around coastal breakwaters. Sánchez rejected accusations that Moroccan authorities orchestrated the mass crossing, stating that no diplomatic, judicial, or international bodies had provided verifiable proof of state planning. He insisted that the Spanish government received no intelligence anticipating the scale of the influx, which overwhelmed local infrastructure in the city of 80,000 residents.

Police findings and softened accusations

The prime minister's remarks followed the emergence on Wednesday of an internal police report compiled for an investigating magistrate. The report documented that Moroccan police presence at the border post on 30 July was smaller than usual and observed a ten-hour period of total permissiveness during which officers made no serious attempt to stem the movement. It also cited satellite imagery, video footage, and migrant testimony indicating that some Moroccan personnel directed people toward the sea. Sánchez conceded that border controls lapsed during those ten hours, but maintained that intelligence services have not established whether Moroccan inaction stemmed from incapacity or intention. At the same time, Sánchez scaled back assertions he made on Monday attributing the crisis to social media disinformation linked to Russia and Israel, acknowledging that Spanish intelligence has not confirmed those foreign ties.

Diplomatic friction over North African enclaves

Relations between Madrid and Rabat remain delicate as Spain depends on Moroccan security cooperation to manage Mediterranean migration routes. Sánchez revealed to lawmakers that the foreign ministry summoned Moroccan Ambassador Karima Benyaich on 21 August. The diplomatic summons protested public statements by Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi, who asserted territorial and historical rights over Ceuta and Melilla and advocated their return to Moroccan sovereignty. Sánchez rejected those claims, reiterating Spain's centuries-old sovereignty over both territories.

Ceuta and Melilla will remain Spanish until the end of time.

Political confrontation and street protests

The crisis has generated intense domestic opposition across Spain. On Wednesday evening, more than 100,000 demonstrators gathered in Madrid, Ceuta, and other cities to protest the government's migration policy and its handling of the border. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the People's Party demanded Sánchez's resignation, accusing the prime minister of either incompetence or complicity and suggesting Morocco possesses leverage over him following the 2021 cyberattack on government mobile phones.

This operation originated in Morocco, was authorized by Morocco, and there are indications that Morocco coordinated it.

Criticism also emerged from government partners: junior coalition member Sumar accused Morocco, the United States, and Israel of acting against Spain, while Podemos urged cutting diplomatic ties with Rabat. In Ceuta, authorities report that over 10,000 people remain in temporary camps awaiting individualized asylum reviews.