The new migration crisis unleashed in Ceuta, which the president of this autonomous city, Juan Jesús Vivas, raised the alarm about this Thursday, has immediately turned many eyes towards the Moroccan authorities, after Pedro Sánchez restored political and commercial relations with Algeria last week with his visit to President Abdelmayid Tebun, which marked the end of the 2022 diplomatic clash following the Spanish leader’s shift on the Western Sahara issue.
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At La Moncloa, however, they have tried to immediately stop any speculation that the recent migratory pressure on the autonomous city could be interpreted as an adverse reaction from Morocco to Spain’s bilateral political and economic rapprochement with Algeria, which includes an increase in gas supply and the opening of new markets with the Maghreb country.
“The intervention of the Moroccan security forces is stopping the arrival of numerous people trying to access Ceuta,” the Government claims
“The Government of Morocco is cooperating loyally and permanently with Spain and working closely to address this situation,” the Spanish Government has emphasized. “The intervention of the Moroccan security forces is stopping the arrival of numerous people trying to access Ceuta from Moroccan territory,” the Ministry of the Interior stated in a communiqué.
“The relationship with Morocco is excellent and in no way affected by the good relations with Algeria,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assures
And sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by José Manuel Albares, have assured, on their part, that “the relationship with Morocco is excellent and in no way affected by the good relations with Algeria.” “Coordination on migration and other issues is very intense,” they highlighted.
Precisely this afternoon, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, is scheduled to attend the reception offered by the Moroccan ambassador to Spain, Karima Benyaich, on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of the enthronement of King Mohammed VI, at her official residence in Madrid, alongside the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz.
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Just last week, moreover, the Justice Committee of the Congress approved the bill granting Spanish nationality to Sahrawis born when this territory was a Spanish colony, until 1977, with favorable votes from PSOE, Sumar, ERC, Bildu, and PNV, abstention from PP, and rejection from Vox. The initiative is thus on track for debate and voting in the full Congress as early as next September.
Morocco attributes the mass entries in Ceuta to criminal gangs
Morocco has attributed the mass entry of migrants at the Ceuta border to “criminal organizations” and has highlighted that cooperation with Spain on migration matters is “exemplary,” according to diplomatic sources from the Moroccan embassy in Madrid conveyed to Europa Press.
These sources have emphasized that the recent attempts of irregular entry into Ceuta “do not in any way respond to a will of the Moroccan authorities to favor irregular immigration” and that everything points to these movements being rather the exploitation by criminal networks dedicated to human trafficking and illicit migrant smuggling.
“Morocco does not favor or promote irregular immigration of its nationals. It is the criminal organizations that take advantage of the vulnerability of these people, feeding false expectations and exposing them to serious risks to their lives and integrity,” they concluded.
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