Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez denied, on Monday, any responsibility of the Moroccan authorities for the sudden influx of migrants from Moroccan territory to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta a month ago, denouncing what he described as false information spread by the far right and networks linked to Israel and Russia.
About 70,000 migrants crossed, walking or swimming, the border between Morocco and Ceuta, located in North Africa. Most of them were returned, while about 5,000 migrants remain in Ceuta, including approximately 1,200 unaccompanied minors, according to what Sanchez announced on Cadena Ser radio. On the other hand, local authorities estimate that about 10,000 migrants remain inside the Spanish enclave.
According to official figures, at least 91 people died during the incident, including 80 on the Spanish side and 11 on the Moroccan side, while Moroccan non-governmental organizations reported the death of at least 141 people and dozens missing.
Sanchez confirmed the continuation of the investigation into what happened, ruling out any involvement of the Moroccan authorities, and said: “No intelligence service with which the Spanish government usually cooperates has shown the slightest doubt, or even hinted at any doubt, about the involvement of the Moroccan authorities in one way or another.”
He stressed that the crisis could only be resolved in cooperation with Morocco, not through suspicion of it, pledging to provide additional assistance worth $195 million, equivalent to 168 million euros, to Ceuta to confront the economic repercussions of the influx of migrants.
He explained that a decree issued by the Supreme Court last July 8 was distorted and circulated on social media networks in the context of rumors and misleading information, in addition to the activity of criminal organizations that traffic in human beings.
The information circulated included allegations that the arrival of migrants by swimming in Ceuta makes it impossible for them to be returned to Morocco, which was denied by the Spanish Prime Minister.
Sanchez pointed to the great structural disparity between the two sides of the border, considering that the borders of the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla may be the most complex in the world, given the huge difference in opportunities and individual revenues between the two sides.
He added that after July 30 and 31, rumors and misleading information spread through social media networks linked to Russia and Israel, as well as an international movement from the far right that used the immigration file to attack Spain and Europe and stir up division.
On August 20, 2026, the authorities transferred migrants from a temporary camp on one of the beaches of Ceuta to official shelter centers distributed throughout the city, after the site was evacuated.
