Rabat Attributes Ceuta Crisis to Spanish Judicial Decisions
A senior Moroccan official has stated that Spanish authorities should have foreseen the repercussions of a judicial ruling that undermined a crucial deterrent mechanism against illegal immigration, which has led to a significant surge in border crossings observed last week into the enclave of Ceuta, located in northern Morocco. According to Spanish officials, approximately 69,500 migrants have returned from Ceuta to Morocco since these crossings occurred, while Moroccan authorities report that around 40,000 individuals have entered the enclave during the same period.
The tragic outcome of these events has resulted in 72 fatalities on the Spanish side of the border and 11 on the Moroccan side. The president of the Ceuta region, Juan Jesus Vivas, has accused Rabat of "encouraging and permitting" the influx of migrants. In a related context, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, has warned against any attempts to leverage irregular migration as a means of exerting pressure on a European Union member state.
The Moroccan official articulated that local authorities in Ceuta should have anticipated the fallout from a court ruling that limited the immediate return of migrants arriving by sea to Spanish enclaves. This judicial decision, made in Spain on July 8, has significantly weakened the enforcement of laws against illegal immigration.
Furthermore, the official emphasized that Morocco had neither relaxed its border controls nor reduced its security measures prior to the massive crossings that were witnessed last Thursday. Morocco's strategy for managing migration is based on prevention, which involves deploying around 24,000 security personnel along the northern coast of the country, and deterrence through the rapid readmission of migrants who have illegally entered Spanish territory.
As reported by boursorama.com.
