Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated on Thursday that Spain has found no evidence to suggest that Moroccan authorities orchestrated or carried out the deadly border surge into its enclave of Ceuta in July.
Sanchez made these remarks in the lower house of parliament, following the emergence of a police report this week. The report indicated that the mass entry into Ceuta was not a spontaneous migration event but rather a planned and phased operation intended to overwhelm border controls.
"I can assure you that no institution – not the diplomatic service, nor the European Commission, nor any international body – has provided the Spanish government with any solid evidence that Morocco planned or carried out the incident. None whatsoever," Sanchez declared.
However, he acknowledged that Morocco's Gendarmerie police did permit crossings to occur during a critical 10-hour period on July 30, when the arrival of migrants reached its peak. Sanchez added that Spanish authorities are still working to determine whether this was a result of inaction or an inability to contain the influx.
The police report, which Reuters has reviewed, alleged that Moroccan security forces were initially deployed in smaller numbers than usual near the Tarajal breakwater that separates the enclave from Morocco. The report also stated that these forces did not make a serious effort to disperse the crowds. Some uniformed Moroccan officers were observed giving directions towards the crossing point, while other unidentified individuals appeared to guide or monitor the flow of people, according to the report. However, the report did not identify individual officers or provide independently verified evidence of orders from Moroccan authorities.
Moroccan officials have previously denied enabling the crossing.
