Sánchez: No proof Morocco planned Ceuta migrant surge

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated there is no "concrete evidence" that Morocco planned or carried out the July migrant surge into Ceuta. A Spanish police report claims Moroccan security forces showed "total permissiveness" and that some officers even directed migrants toward the water. Over 70,000 migrants entered Ceuta on July 30-31, most attempting to swim around the breakwater, with many drowning.

Sánchez said he found Moroccan government interpretations regarding Ceuta and Melilla "unacceptable" and announced the Moroccan ambassador was summoned on August 21. Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi had stated the two cities have "historical and geographic rights" belonging to Morocco and should be returned to the motherland through a "definitive solution." Sánchez stressed Ceuta and Melilla will remain Spanish "forever."

The opposition accuses Sánchez of caving to Morocco; some analysts suggest Morocco may have used the migrant wave to pressure Spain after Sánchez visited Morocco's historic rival, Algeria. Sánchez announced he wants King Felipe VI to visit Ceuta and Melilla "in the coming weeks"; the last royal visit in 2007 sparked a diplomatic crisis. Most migrants have been returned to Morocco, but thousands remain living on Ceuta's streets, with locals feeling abandoned.