Spain's PM Sanchez says no evidence Morocco orchestrated Ceuta border surge

Spain has found no evidence to conclude that July's deadly border rush from Morocco into its enclave of Ceuta was orchestrated or carried out by Moroccan authorities, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told lawmakers on Thursday.

Sanchez's comments in the lower house of parliament followed a police report that emerged this week saying that the mass entry into Ceuta was not a spontaneous migration event but ⁠a planned and phased operation designed 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 said.

However, he said Morocco's Gendarmerie police did allow crossings to occur during a key 10-hour period on July 30, when migrant arrivals peaked. ⁠Spanish authorities had yet to determine whether this was due to inaction or inability to contain the influx, Sanchez added.



Reuters