Spain’s Minister of Inclusion and Migration, Elma Saiz, has joined several senior Spanish officials in commending Morocco’s cooperation in responding to the recent Ceuta migration crisis.
Saiz told reporters on Tuesday that Morocco’s cooperation was essential to Spain’s emergency response to the crisis, emphasizing that without Rabat’s support, such an exceptional response would not have been possible.
EFE quoted the Spanish minister as welcoming the EU Commission President’s remarks commending Madrid’s management of the crisis.
Saiz said Madrid will allocate an additional €25 million to Ceuta for unaccompanied migrant minors who arrived in the city as part of the Ceuta mass crossings.
She said the government would approve the extraordinary allocation in addition to the €5.5 million already granted during a conference in July.
Spain estimates the number of people who crossed into Ceuta at over 70,000. Meanwhile, Morocco’s official data stresses that the number of those who crossed is estimated at 40,000, in addition to 11 deaths.
Morocco’s Ministry of Interior has emphasized that it has been working closely with its Spanish counterpart to identify the number of people reported dead by local authorities.
The Ceuta government has estimated the death toll at 88, with Spanish reports indicating that some of the bodies showed signs of advanced decomposition.
Morocco responds to hostile allegations
Despite the consensus from the government on Morocco’s effectiveness, a number of officials and politicians—particularly from the far right—have been critical of Rabat, with some accusing the country of orchestrating the mass migration crisis.
Morocco has responded with sharply worded remarks emphasizing its cooperation in tackling the situation—especially through the agreement it swiftly reached with Spain to return the migrants back home.
A Moroccan government source has recently pointed to a recent ruling by the Spanish Supreme Court, stating that a Spanish judge cannot dismantle the system for combating irregular migration and ask Morocco to bear the consequences.
The source emphasized that the migration barrier did not collapse because of smugglers but because of the Spanish court ruling, which he said was exploited by human trafficking networks.
“Did anyone alert Morocco so it could prepare? No. Did anyone anticipate the consequences, even though they were entirely foreseeable? No,” the source said, emphasizing that Morocco is not Europe’s concierge nor policeman, and that combating irregular migration should be based on shared responsibility.
