Spain’s Complex Ties With Morocco Fuel Speculation Over Ceuta Migrant Surge

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Rumors swirled that Morocco, perhaps spurred by Israel and the United States, organized a recent border disaster. That unproven speculation, experts said, was exacerbated by the region’s complicated history.

This screenshot has been taken from this NYT article. | Migrants from sub-Saharan Africa waiting on a beach for humanitarian assistance after about tens of thousands of people, mostly from Morocco, surged across the border into Ceuta, Spain, this month. Credit: Finbarr O'Reilly for The New York Times
The actor Javier Bardem wondered if Israel had something to do with the rush of over 70,000 migrants last month from Morocco to Spain. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the former Republican congresswoman and veteran conspiracy theorist, suggested the Republican Party was behind it. Others said King Mohammed VI of Morocco had set off the crisis to mess with Spain.

Experts have said that there is no evidence that any state played a role in masterminding the unprecedented migration to Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa. The Spanish and Moroccan governments blamed the surge, which killed about 90 migrants before most of the people involved had retreated to Morocco, on a viral social media misinformation campaign by smugglers.

But that hasn’t stopped all sorts of conjecture about what really happened. That speculation is partly rooted, analysts said, in the deeply complicated relationship between Spain and Morocco.

Spain occupied parts of Morocco for much of the 20th century, and many Moroccans still contest Spain’s control over its African territories, including Ceuta. Yet, the two countries are also interdependent for intricate economic, political and geopolitical reasons.

They have conflicting positions on Algeria, Israel and the Trump administration. Spain has a fraught relationship with Washington and Jerusalem, but a warming one with Algiers. Morocco, however, sees Algeria as a rival but is improving ties with Israel and the United States. » | Jason Horowitz | Reporting from Ferrol, Spain | Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Who Is to Blame for the Chaos on Spain’s Border? | BBC News

August 4, 2026 | Why did tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco suddenly attempt to cross into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta by sea last week?

In the days since the sudden border crisis left at least 72 people dead, a variety of theories have circulated.

The Trump administration blamed the incident on “radical left-wing globalist policies”, and many European leaders condemned what they say is Spain’s lax immigration policy.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez denied those claims and blamed trafficking gangs. Others have blamed Morocco and accused it of ‘weaponising’ migrants for political purposes.

We speak to the BBC’s Southern and Eastern Europe correspondent, Sarah Rainsford, to find out how and why the Ceuta crisis happened.

Ceuta Leader Accuses Morocco over ‘Atrocity’ of Mass Border Crossing

THE GUARDIAN: Juan Jesús Vivas says influx seen as ‘at least encouraged or permitted’ by Rabat, as Spain demands EU solidarity

This photo was taken from this Guardian article. | People sit in the shade of a tree on a beach in Ceuta on Monday. Photograph: Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters
A growing chorus of voices has accused Morocco of helping to fuel the crisis in Ceuta, with the leader of the Spanish enclave describing last week’s border crossings as an attack on Spain’s territorial integrity that was seen as being “if not orchestrated, at least encouraged or permitted by Morocco”.

Spanish officials ⁠said on Monday that an estimated 69,500 people who had arrived late last week in Ceuta, a tiny Spanish territory in north Africa, had returned to Morocco in recent days. About 2,500 people who had made the crossing were believed to still be in Ceuta.

The extraordinary influx had overwhelmed the city of 84,000 people and set off a political crisis across the EU as some member states laid blame on Spain.

In Ceuta, leaders pointed to the broader picture of what had transpired. “It’s an atrocity,” said Juan Jesús Vivas, the long-serving conservative leader of the territory. “There are 88 bodies in the morgue, and there are more on the other side of the border.” » | Ashifa Kassam in Madrid, Okba Mohammad in Ceuta and Lisa O’Carroll in London | Monday, August 3, 2026

Democracy Now! Why Did 60,000 Migrants Cross from Morocco into Spain's Ceuta? Moroccan Dutch Professor Explains

August 3, 2026 | An estimated 60,000 people from Morocco crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, on the African side of the Strait of Gibraltar, in an unprecedented mass movement last week. At least 72 people died during the attempt. The sudden influx of migrants overwhelmed the city's residents, leading to a humanitarian crisis while border police deployed water cannons, tear gas and warning shots to deter people from crossing. According to Spain's Interior Ministry, nearly all of the migrants returned to Morocco just a day later.

Miriyam Aouragh, an anthropologist and the daughter of Moroccan immigrants to Europe, says the driving factors for the mass movement are a combination of shifting entry policies to Spain and increasing economic inequality in Morocco that "has given a sort of empowering incentive to people to try to go to Spain" via Ceuta. The city, which is surrounded by Morocco along a five-mile-long border, dates back to the Phoenician era and has been under Portuguese or Spanish control since 1415. The Moroccan government claims that Ceuta is occupied and colonized territory, while Spain considers it an integral part of the Spanish state.

Ceuta : Javier Milei accuse Pedro Sanchez de vouloir naturaliser les migrants pour obtenir leurs votes

Cette image provient de cet article du Figaro. | Le président argentin Javier Milei. Leslie Moreno Custodio / REUTERS
LE FIGARO : Au moins 72 migrants ont perdu la vie selon Madrid en essayant de gagner de force Ceuta depuis le Maroc, lors de l’afflux inédit de dizaines de milliers de personnes dans l’enclave espagnole en Afrique du Nord, tandis que Rabat compte 11 morts. EN DIRECT » | Par Paul Carcenac et AFP agence | lundi 3 août 2026

Le commentaire de Milei est vraiment absurde et contre-productif. Il ne fait qu'attiser les tensions. — © Mark Alexander

‘Do You Think if I Had a Job I Would Have Gone?’

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Moroccan migrants described their despair at their economic future, explaining what propelled them across the border with Spain.

When King Mohammed VI of Morocco addressed his people on Wednesday to commemorate his 27th year on the throne, he spoke hopefully of his North African nation’s future.

Morocco, he said, was safe and stable, with a growing economy making great strides in tourism, investment and manufacturing.

“This is a pivotal moment in our nation’s development,” the 62-year-old monarch said. “A time when confidence and optimism should prevail over despair and frustration.”

Over the next two days, however, tens of thousands of his citizens tried to escape the country. Driven by a bleak sense of their prospects in Morocco, they braved confrontations with the police and dangerous swims in the sea to reach the Spanish territory of Ceuta, hoping for better lives.

“I tried to work and have a job and make a living, but there is nothing for me here,” said Mohammed Kinani, a 21-year-old construction worker, who had been forced back to Morocco. “If I don’t leave this country, there is nothing that will save me.”

Mr. Kinani was part of a sudden exodus that began on Thursday when 50,000 to 60,000 migrants began forcing their way into Ceuta, a tiny Spanish territory on the North African coast. By Saturday, many of the migrants had left, lacking food and water, and the Spanish security forces expelled others, but not before the crisis had given far-right politicians across Europe new ammunition to blast their opponents’ views on immigration.

The Spanish authorities said on Sunday that they had recorded 72 deaths during the crisis. The Moroccan government reported 11 deaths. Both sides said most of the deaths were from drowning.

Before the startling scenes of chaos at the border, the Moroccan government had much to celebrate: investments in logistics and industry, preparations to co-host the men’s World Cup in 2030, and strong relations with President Trump, who has lavished the country of 38 million and its monarch with praise.

But the Ceuta migration crisis exposed a deep dismay among its young people, who, when faced with scant job opportunities, recurrent droughts and frequent arrests of government critics, chose to vote with their feet and get out. » | Ben Hubbard and Aida Alami | Photographs by Sergey Ponomarev | Reporting from Fnideq, Morocco | Monday, August 3, 2026

ALSO READ:

What to Know About Ceuta: The peninsula on Morocco’s northern coast, which Spain has governed for centuries, has been a frequent site of mass migrant crossings and political tensions. »

Ceuta: Moroccan State Involved In Migrant Crossings | International Crisis Group Director

Aug 2, 2026 | “We have testimonies by Moroccan migrants who crossed into Ceuta, who said quite openly that Moroccan security forces told them to go into Ceuta and to go to Spain.”

The project director for North Africa at the International Crisis Group has said that he has seen evidence that the Moroccan state was complicit in the events that saw thousands of migrants flood into the Spanish enclave from the North African country last week.

Spain Says the Crisis in Its Tiny Exclave Ceuta Is Under Control. What Happens Next? | DW News

August 1, 2026 | Spain says most of the thousands of migrants who crossed from Morocco into Ceuta have left again. But the crisis exposed how one small border can become a pressure point between Africa and Europe. We look at why people took the risk, why many turned back, and what all of that means for Spain, Morocco and the EU.

Vague migratoire à Ceuta : le premier ministre espagnol Pedro Sanchez dénonce l’attitude «égoïste» de certains pays de l’UE et réclame une réunion des ministres des 27

Cette photo provient de cet article du Figaro. | Le Premier ministre espagnol Pedro Sanchez. Fabian Bimmer / REUTERS
LE FIGARO : « Une telle attitude - motivée par les préjugés, les fausses informations, l’ignorance ou des intérêts politiques - est non seulement contraire au droit européen, au droit humanitaire et aux principes de solidarité qui nous unissent, mais elle va également à l’encontre des intérêts à long terme de l’Europe », a-t-il écrit dans une lettre adressée aux chefs des institutions européennes EN DIRECT » | Par Clara Hidalgo, Steve Tenré et Aldric Meeschaert | Publié : vendredi 31 juillet 2026. Mis à jour : samedi 1er août 2026

How 50,000 People Surged Into a Spanish Exclave in Africa

THE NEW YORK TIMES: On Thursday, tens of thousands of Moroccans broke into Ceuta, a Spanish territory that neighbors Morocco. By Friday evening, most of them had left, hungry and disappointed.

Like so many others in Morocco, Mohammed Ahmidho saw on his social media feeds early Thursday that the heavily guarded border his country shared with the Spanish territory of Ceuta was open.

Soon enough, he joined a crowd in the tens of thousands, many of whom were astonished to see Moroccan police urge them, as he recalled, to “come to Spain.” Some climbed over the fence, as he did, or dove through holes in the chain-link, or swam across the maritime border. Some wore wet-suits, sometimes kicking with flippers, or floated to the Spanish coast in orange life preservers, pink inflatable doughnuts around their waists. At least 60 people died in the mayhem.

“A lot of people came,” said Mr. Ahmidho, 37. “A lot.”

He was among roughly 50,000 people who crossed the border into a Spanish town of only 84,000 residents on Thursday and early Friday, according to the Spanish interior ministry. That was a more intense surge than in any equivalent period during the peak of the European migration crisis in 2015.

By Friday morning, the city looked like the emergency that Europe has been trying to avoid since that era of mass migration 11 years ago, the last time so many non-Europeans surged into European-held territory, upended the continent’s politics and spurred the rise of its anti-immigrant right. » | Jason Horowitz | Reporting from Ceuta, Spain | Saturday, August 1, 2026

Morocco ‘Facilitated Migrant Crossings’ into Spain

THE TELEGRAPH: Western intelligence suspects north African country helped 60,000 cross into tiny neighbouring territory of Ceuta

Screenshot taken from this Telegraph article. | Throngs of arrivals swam towards a crowded shore, while others rushed across the land border by taking advantage of weak security | Credit: Abdel Majid Bziouat/AFP via Getty Images
Morocco facilitated the sudden influx of 60,000 migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Western intelligence sources suspect. Sources told The Telegraph that the surge could have served as a punishment amid diplomatic frustrations with Spain.

Moroccan officials are believed to be frustrated with Pedro Sánchez, the socialist prime minister of Spain, over his pursuit of gas deals with rival Algeria.

Morocco previously funnelled 8,000 people into Ceuta in 2021 following a dispute with Madrid over the sovereignty of the Western Sahara, which preceded a sudden policy change in Spain.

Ceuta was overrun by entire families swimming, climbing and storming across the border during a chaotic 48 hours on Thursday and Friday. At least 57 people died, either by drowning or being crushed at the border fence.

The scenes plunged Europe into crisis, with leaders threatening to freeze Spain out of free movement and impose border controls.

The Trump administration, meanwhile, rounded on the Left-wing Spanish government for what it called a weak stance on migration. » | Rozina Sabur National Security Editor. James Crisp Europe Editor. Joe Barnes Diplomatic Editor. Antonio Sempere in Ceuta | Friday, July 31, 2026

Migrants Storm Spanish Border - What's Happening in Ceuta and Why | BBC News

July 31, 2026 | Tens of thousands of migrants arrived in the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta in 24 hours. But how did they get there? And why did they come now?

Here’s what we know about the migrant crossings, as well as the reaction from Spain and beyond.

Vague migratoire massive à Ceuta : Donald Trump évoque des images « terribles »

LE FIGARO : « Souvenez-vous de cette image. Ce sera nous dans trois ans si le mauvais camp l’emporte », a déclaré le président américain, selon des propos rapportés par une journaliste de la chaîne américaine Fox News.

Les images « terribles » de milliers de migrants rejoignant l'enclave espagnole de Ceuta constituent un avertissement de ce qui pourrait arriver aux États-Unis si les démocrates revenaient au pouvoir, a alerté vendredi 31 juillet Donald Trump auprès de Fox News. « Souvenez-vous de cette image. Ce sera nous dans trois ans si le mauvais camp l'emporte », a déclaré le président américain, selon des propos rapportés par une journaliste de la chaîne américaine. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | vendredi 31 juillet 2026

Thousands of Migrants Try to Enter Spanish Enclave of Ceuta from Morocco | BBC News

July 31, 2026 | About 49,000 migrants have crossed into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco in the last 24 hours, officials estimate.

Videos and photos showed thousands of people swimming into the city on Thursday, while local media reported crossings continuing overnight.

This development comes after Spain's Supreme Court ruled this month that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla, another Spanish enclave, cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.

Afflux massif de migrants à Ceuta : Madrid dénonce la «démagogie» de l’Italie qui veut suspendre l'Espagne de l'espace Schengen

LE FIGARO : Madrid convoque l’ambassadeur italien à la suite des propos de Giorgia Meloni. Laquelle dit vouloir suspendre l’Espagne de l’espace Schengen, après l’arrivée de centaines de migrants à Ceuta en provenance du Maroc.

La cheffe du gouvernement italien Giorgia Meloni a dit jeudi vouloir suspendre l'Espagne de l'espace Schengen, après que des centaines de migrants sont arrivés illégalement jeudi dans l'enclave espagnole de Ceuta en provenance du Maroc et continuaient d’affluer dans la soirée vers la ville de Fnideq, selon un correspondant de l’AFP. Plusieurs témoins faisant état de rumeurs d’une ouverture de la frontière avec l’enclave. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | vendredi 31 juillet 2026

Related articles here »

At Least 18 Die as 49,000 People Cross to Spanish Enclave of Ceuta from Morocco

THE GUARDIAN: Some drowned and others caught up in crush, official says, as incident prompts criticism of Spain from France and Italy

Screenshot taken from this Guardian article. | People try to cross from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on Thursday. Photograph: Antonio Sempere/AP
At least 18 people have died trying to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta after around 49,000 migrants entered the tiny territory from Morocco in a matter of hours, triggering a political crisis for the Madrid government and unleashing a barrage of criticism from other EU countries.

The large influx of people arriving in Ceuta by swimming across from neighbouring Morocco or scaling the high border fence has caught the city of 85,000 off guard and resulted in what one local police association has called a “serious humanitarian crisis”.

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez – who is due to visit Ceuta on Friday with the interior minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska – is under huge pressure from political opponents and other European countries to come up with a swift and comprehensive response.

The latest incident dwarfs the last mass border crossing in May 2021, when 10,000 people entered the territory over the course of two days by taking advantage of a loosening of border controls by Morocco. » | Sam Jones in Madrid and Angela Giuffrida in Rome | Friday, July 31, 2026

Articles on this problem appear in German on this blog here »

THE NEW YORK TIMES:

Live Updates: Spanish Leader Rushes to Ceuta After Thousands of Migrants Burst Into Territory: Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was set to arrive in Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa, amid an escalating crisis for his pro-immigration government. »

What to Know About Ceuta: The peninsula on Morocco’s northern coast that Spain has governed for centuries has been a frequent site of mass migrant crossings and political tensions. »

Britain: Where Are We Heading? How Lies about Migrants Have Divided Our Nation

October 14, 2025

Le maire de Chicago défie Trump, qui compte envoyer des agents fédéraux dans la ville pour endiguer l’immigration

LE FIGARO : Brandon Johnson a interdit aux forces de l’ordre municipales de prêter main-forte aux agents fédéraux, que Donald Trump veut déployer pour endiguer l’immigration illégale.

Le maire de Chicago Brandon Johnson a annoncé samedi avoir pris des mesures contre le plan de Donald Trump visant à déployer des agents fédéraux dans la troisième plus grande ville du pays pour endiguer l’immigration illégale, affirmait Associated Press dimanche matin.

Le département de police de Chicago ne sera pas autorisé à aider les autorités fédérales, et les policiers municipaux n’apporteront également aucune aide à toute patrouille, contrôle routier et point de contrôle connexe pendant les prochains raids migratoires, a décrété Brandon Johnson. » | Par Jeanne Durieux | dimanche 31 août 2025

Aux États-Unis, une juge bloque la procédure accélérée d'expulsions de migrants de Trump

LE FIGARO : La juge fédérale Jia Cobb a bloqué l’application élargie de la procédure d’expulsion, arguant qu’elle pourrait amener des personnes à être expulsées «de manière erronée» hors de toute procédure légale.

Une juge fédérale a bloqué la procédure accélérée d'expulsions de migrants des États-Unis sans comparution devant un tribunal, infligeant un revers au plan d'expulsions en masse voulu par le président Donald Trump. La procédure dite d'«expulsion accélérée» a été utilisée par l'administration républicaine pour renvoyer rapidement des migrants arrêtés près de la frontière mexicaine s'ils avaient pénétré aux États-Unis au cours des deux semaines précédentes. » | Par Le Figaro avec AFP | samedi 30 août 2025

UK and France Have Struck 'One in, One out' Migrant Deal

Jul 10, 2025 | The UK and France have announced a new agreement aimed at curbing migrant crossings in the English Channel. The deal follows a three-day state visit to the UK by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Under the agreement, stricter controls on migrant processing will be introduced, though the measures will begin on a limited scale. This has led some to question the deal’s potential for success. TRT World’s Joel Flynn has the story.