Morocco warns Spain of 'recurring tensions' over Ceuta migrant crisis

The North African country also launched a blunt attack on Spain's leading opposition party PP, accusing it of "irrational and populist escalation". Rabat indirectly questioned the Spanish judicial authorities over their "unfortunate initiative" to investigate whether Morocco is behind the attack.

Morocco's Foreign Ministry, headed by Nasser Bourita, officially denied any involvement in the arrival of tens of thousands of people in Ceuta. It urged Spain to return those who are staying in Ceuta illegally, including minors who could be reunited with their families.

Rabat accused certain sectors of Spanish politics and the media of turning Morocco into a pawn in their internal disputes.

Bourita's ministry reminded Spain that the two countries have a relationship based on four pillars: good neighbourliness, political understanding, economic partnership and cooperation on security matters.

During a meeting on 7 April 2022, Spain's PM Pedro Sánchez and King Mohammed VI signed a joint declaration that brought an end to one of the most serious diplomatic crises between the two countries.

Since then, the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, Madrid and Rabat have managed to build on the issues that unite them and resolve their differences through dialogue, "far from any tendency to impose faits accomplis".

Morocco also pointed out that Spain has become its main economic partner and that it is Spain's second-largest trading partner outside the EU.

Rabat placed particular emphasis on police, counter-terrorism and migration cooperation and stated that this joint effort had made it possible to save lives and dismantle criminal and terrorist networks, sometimes at the cost of human and material losses among the Moroccan forces.

According to Morocco, the "unfortunate events" at the end of July require "a thorough investigation" to establish what happened, determine who was responsible, identify any possible interference and ensure that such an incident does not happen again.

The statement then poses a number of questions. "Why are accusations continuing to be levelled against Morocco, in the absence of any data, facts or reports demonstrating any involvement on the part of the Moroccan authorities?" is just one of them.

Rabat also asks why Spain has not yet returned all irregular migrants if, as it claims, the Moroccan government "has officially committed to receiving them". The statement also mentions that Morocco has "repeatedly" requested the return of underage migrants.

According to Morocco, the answer to these questions lies with the "Spanish authorities" responsible for managing the crisis.

Rabat denounces the use of Morocco as a pawn in "political and media circles" and accuses parties of venturing into territory where "irrational and populist escalation takes precedence over common sense".

Although the statement avoids mentioning acronyms, the reference is primarily aimed at the PP. In recent weeks, the PP has spearheaded the offensive against the Spanish government over its policy towards Morocco, demanded explanations regarding Rabat's actions and tabled motions in Parliament concerning the Ceuta crisis.

The criticism extends even beyond the realm of politics. Morocco also accuses Spanish legislative and judicial institutions of launching "unfortunate initiatives" which "pave the way for discord".

The National Court in Spain is investigating the incident as a possible attack on Spanish sovereignty. In addition, the Spanish Parliament has just adopted decisions on Western Sahara that are particularly sensitive for Rabat.

"The tendency for discernment to give way to oversimplification and for objective analysis to give way to accusation is part of a strategy of fear that is harmful to everyone," the Moroccan Foreign Ministry stated.

The statement then goes on to issue a starkly political warning: Morocco refuses to become a "political pawn" in the run-up to an election or a "scapegoat" used to settle internal Spanish scores.

Until now, Rabat had responded to the crisis primarily through public statements by members of its government, including those made in early September by Minister Nizar Baraka, as well as through contacts and positions Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita conveyed to his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Albares.

Thursday's statement marks a significant step forward. It is the first clear and public institutional position from the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the crisis as a whole.

It came just hours after the Spanish government released the declassified documents relating to the days leading up to and following 30 June.

These documents cast doubt on one of Rabat's key assertions. While the reports do not definitively establish that the Moroccan state was responsible, they contain analyses by the Spanish security services which refer to passivity, negligence and even the actions of Moroccan forces during the gathering and movement of people towards Ceuta.

At 6.26pm on 29 July, the CNI (Spain's intelligence centre) sent an "early warning" to the Moroccan secret services, the DGST and the DGED, regarding the "planning of several gatherings" aimed at gaining access to Ceuta by sea and over the fence during the Día del Trono celebrations.

Judge María Tardón has stated that the mass influx was not a spontaneous phenomenon. She sees evidence of a planned operation and notes from the police report that Moroccan agents were "actively guiding" people along specific routes.

The investigation must now establish who was behind that mobilisation and, if applicable, the extent to which state structures were involved.

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