The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, has made public documents regarding Ceuta, highlighting warnings from the intelligence agency about a potential mass influx of migrants to the North African enclave. The National Intelligence Center (CNI) alerted authorities in Ceuta just one day before an unprecedented surge of migrants at the end of July, indicating a possible 'assault by land and sea' on this Spanish territory located in North Africa.
According to the released documents, the CNI communicated on July 29 to both the regional government in Ceuta and the Civil Guard police unit, regarding social media calls urging individuals to cross the border the following day. These warnings were significant, as two groups involved had a combined following of around 180,000 individuals on social networks.
In another communication from the CNI, there were mentions of planned attempts to reach Ceuta by swimming or climbing over the border fence. The intelligence agency also informed Moroccan authorities about these developments. On July 30 and 31, it was reported that up to 80,000 migrants crossed from Morocco to Ceuta, although most returned shortly thereafter. Nevertheless, thousands of migrants remain in the Spanish enclave.
The government has released approximately 40 documents from the period between July 1 and August 1, with Sánchez asserting that these records demonstrate that the government had not received prior warnings of such a massive influx. Initially, there was no commentary from either the government or the opposition regarding the new disclosures.
In Brussels, the European Union announced that it would provide Spain with around €115 million to address the migration crisis in Ceuta. This funding aims to enhance border protection and surveillance, as well as ensure the humane accommodation of unaccompanied minors and the repatriation of individuals without legal residency, as stated by the EU Commission.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares described the announcement as fantastic following discussions with EU representatives but emphasized that this could only be a first step from Spain's perspective. He insisted that the southern EU external border deserves the same level of attention as the eastern border. While acknowledging the military threat faced in the east, which is unparalleled at other borders, he asserted that the challenges at the African border and the resulting migration pressure are equally significant. Due to the educational and income disparities between Africa and Europe, Albares believes that the migration pressure will remain high in the future.
Consequently, he suggested that comprehensive additional support should be considered. He also informed the EU Commission that Spain would request the inclusion of the two enclaves, Ceuta and Melilla, into the EU Customs Union, a move that was not made during Spain's accession to the EU in 1986.
As reported by faz.net.
