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Ceuta: Morocco reimposes border restrictions

May 19, 2021

Thousands of migrants spent the night in shelters after arriving in the Spanish city. Spain and the EU are pointing fingers at the Moroccan border authorities.

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A migrant is comforted by a member of the Spanish Red Cross on a beach in Ceuta
The 85,000-strong Spanish city of Ceuta faced record numbers of migrant arrivals over the past two daysImage: Bernat Armangue/AP/picture alliance

A diplomatic spat between Spain and Morocco, which led to record numbers of migrants entering the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, showed signs of easing on Wednesday as Morocco moved to reimpose border restrictions.

More than 8,000 people made their way into the Spanish city on the North African coast over the past two days, many swimming across a perilous stretch of water.

The Spanish Interior Ministry said that around 4,800 of the migrants and asylum-seekers had since returned to Morocco. Unaccompanied minors had been taken into care by authorities.

What did Spanish leaders say?

Spain intensified its criticism of Moroccan authorities, making clear that it believed the government had loosened border controls as retribution for Spain allowing a rebel leader from Western Sahara — a region Rabat lays claim to — to receive medical attention.

"It tears our hearts out to see our neighbors sending children, even babies, because they reject a humanitarian gesture on our part," Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said on public radio on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also did not hold back with his criticism.

"The lack of border control by Morocco is not a show of disrespect of Spain, but rather for the European Union," he said to the Spanish parliament a day after visiting the enclave.

Brahim Ghali, the secretary-general of the Polisario Front that is fighting for Western Sahara's independence, has been receiving treatment for COVID-19 in northern Spain since April.

Spain's highest court presented Ghali with a summons on Wednesday for a preliminary hearing related to possible war crimes, including illegal detention, torture and terrorism, among others, Spanish broadcaster RTVE reported.

How did the European Union respond?

The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, himself a former Spanish politician, expressed the EU's support for Spain in a statement shared on Twitter.

"Ceuta is the European frontier with Morocco and the EU will do what is necessary to support Spain in these difficult moments. The main priority now is to protect the life of the migrants and bring normalcy back to Ceuta," he said.

European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas also threw his weight behind Spain, saying on Spanish radio that the EU "won't be intimidated by anyone."

"Ceuta is Europe, this border is a European border and what happens there is not a problem for Madrid, but a problem for all," he added.

ab/nm (AP, AFP, EFE, dpa)