Morocco has firmly pushed back against accusations from Spanish authorities suggesting the kingdom played a role in orchestrating the mass crossing of migrants into Ceuta last July. In a statement issued Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad said it regrets and objects to claims that Rabat facilitated the movement of thousands of irregular migrants toward the Spanish enclave, arguing that certain Spanish political and media circles continue to exploit the Kingdom to serve domestic agendas.
The dispute traces back to a chaotic stretch of days in July 2026, when more than 70,000 people, many of them young men seeking to reach European soil, crossed the border separating Morocco from Ceuta after being lured by invitations circulating on social media. Most were eventually returned, but humanitarian groups have since documented over a hundred deaths linked to the crossing attempt.
The episode quickly became a political flashpoint in Spain. Opposition parties accused Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government of mishandling the crisis, while Spain’s National Court went further, describing what it called an undeniable process of direction and facilitation originating from Moroccan territory, a characterization that drew a sharp response from Rabat. The Moroccan ministry’s statement did not mince words, calling it deeply regrettable that established parties, presumably experienced in governance, would sink into this quagmire of irrational, populist one-upmanship.
For its part, the Sánchez government has resisted endorsing the theory of Moroccan complicity, instead pointing to what it describes as a disinformation campaign it attributes to Israel, Russia and far-right networks. Adding a further twist, documents made public on Wednesday revealed that Spanish intelligence services had actually warned their Moroccan counterparts, as well as Madrid itself, about the planned crossings a full day before they took place, a detail that complicates any narrative of one-sided manipulation.
In its statement, Moroccan diplomacy insisted the kingdom refuses to be turned into an electoral commodity ahead of Spain’s legislative elections, expected in mid-2027, and said it would not accept being made a scapegoat for settling Spain’s internal political scores. The message effectively shifts the conversation back toward shared responsibility across the strait, rather than unilateral blame.
