Rabat – Gonzalo Sanz, chief of staff to the Spanish government’s delegate in Ceuta, resigned Friday after declassified documents showed that Spain’s National Intelligence Center (CNI) had warned him about a possible mass border crossing shortly before the migration crisis that hit the Spanish enclave in late July.
Sanz’s resignation adds to growing political pressure on the Spanish government over its handling of the crisis, which saw tens of thousands of people cross into Ceuta from Morocco.
According to El País, a CNI agent contacted Sanz on July 29 and warned him about organized attempts to enter Ceuta. The information included calls on social media for people to cross the border on July 30. The documents also showed that some of the groups involved had large numbers of followers.
Sanz said he passed the information to Ceuta government delegate Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano. However, Pérez Triano has disputed this account.
Pérez Triano said the CNI message did not amount to a formal warning and did not contain information that authorities did not already know. He said Spanish security services were aware of calls on social media encouraging people to enter Ceuta but did not expect the scale of the eventual crossing. Cadena SER reported that Pérez Triano also said formal intelligence warnings follow official channels and reach senior government bodies.
Sanz, however, has defended his actions. In his resignation, he reportedly said he had fulfilled his responsibilities and maintained that he had passed on the information he received. His departure has therefore exposed conflicting accounts inside Spain’s administration over who knew what before the crisis. El País described his resignation as the first major consequence for a senior local official linked to the controversy.
PP criticizes government
Spain’s opposition People’s Party (PP) has used the documents to intensify its criticism of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government.
The party has questioned why authorities did not take stronger measures after receiving information about planned attempts to cross into Ceuta. The PP has also accused the government of failing to protect the city and has demanded greater accountability over the handling of the crisis.
The Spanish government has rejected claims that it ignored a clear warning about the scale of the influx. According to the Associated Press, the declassified documents show that the CNI warned Spanish and Moroccan authorities on July 29 about organized attempts circulating on social media. However, the government says the intelligence did not predict the unprecedented scale of the events that followed.
Morocco rejects accusations
Morocco has rejected claims that it orchestrated the mass migration into Ceuta, while continuing to defend its cooperation with Spain on migration and security.
Morocco’s Foreign Ministry reaffirmed the strategic partnership between Rabat and Madrid, calling for dialogue, mutual trust, and continued cooperation rather than accusations that could damage bilateral ties.
At the same time, Rabat rejected allegations that Moroccan authorities were involved in the July migration events in Ceuta and called for a thorough investigation into what happened. It questioned why irregular migrants have not been returned to Morocco and why unaccompanied Moroccan minors remain separated from their families.
In addition, no concrete evidence links Moroccan authorities to organizing or facilitating the crossings. Its Foreign Ministry also criticized Spanish political forces for using Morocco in domestic political disputes and warned that such accusations could undermine the trust built between the two countries in recent years.
Rabat has also stressed its willingness to cooperate on the return of migrants and unaccompanied minors, saying it remains committed to addressing the issue through bilateral cooperation.
