Moroccan Police Response Criticized in Spanish Report
In a revealing report by the Spanish police's National Centre for Immigration and Borders (CENIF), it has been concluded that Moroccan security forces exhibited a shocking level of "total permissiveness" during the extraordinary influx of migrants into Spain's Ceuta territory on July 30 and 31. This unprecedented event saw over 70,000 individuals attempting to cross into Ceuta, resulting in numerous fatalities, primarily due to drowning as they navigated treacherous waters around a breakwater. The implications of this report put Spain's leftist government in a precarious position, as it has consistently refrained from directly attributing blame to Morocco for the crisis, all while striving to maintain fragile diplomatic relations with Rabat.
The CENIF report detailed that Moroccan police did not make any substantial efforts to control or disperse the mass of migrants gathered at the border. Eyewitness accounts from a diverse group of immigrants indicated a noticeable decrease in police presence at the crossing points. Satellite imagery captured during the peak of the crisis depicted an absence of police or military personnel at critical locations, including the beach and surrounding roads, where migrants were entering. Furthermore, many migrants reported that Moroccan officers not only remained passive during the attempted crossings, but allegedly provided guidance to facilitate their entry by water.
Political Fallout and Tensions
This chaotic surge into Ceuta ignited significant discord within the European Union regarding the sensitive topic of migration. Shortly after the crisis unfolded, a Moroccan source refuted claims of any laxity at the land border, attributing the surge to the
As reported by rfi.fr.
