Morocco says it is prepared to take back the minors who arrived irregularly in Sebta and criticizes Spain for not returning them. Madrid responds that around 600 older procedures remain blocked due to a lack of response from the Moroccan authorities.
Spanish intelligence had directly alerted Morocco’s DGST and DGED on July 29, on the eve of the mass crossings into Ceuta. The calls detected on social media brought together up to 180,000 subscribers.
Declassified Spanish reports establish a possible link between Pedro Sánchez’s trip to Algeria and the loosening of Moroccan controls during the migration crisis in Ceuta.
The European Union will provide Spain with 114.7 million euros following the mass crossings from Morocco at the end of July. Part of this sum will directly fund new surveillance resources in Sebta: thermal cameras, buoys and underwater drones.
A new gate installed by Morocco at Tarajal has sparked a battle of competing accounts in Spain. Police sources insist that it is located on Spanish territory, while Pedro Sánchez’s government claims exactly the opposite.
The Spanish judiciary has taken a new step in the Ceuta crisis. Judge María Tardón has formally decided to open a criminal investigation into the mass crossings at the end of July, citing a serious threat to Spain’s territorial integrity and a possible scenario of “hybrid warfare.”
A Guardia Civil general allegedly ordered all references to Morocco removed from a report intended for the judge investigating the mass entries into Ceuta. Internal sources claim that the document initially contained evidence implicating Moroccan officers.
The Ceuta crisis has triggered a new institutional conflict in Spain. The Senate is preparing to bring a case before the Constitutional Court against three ministers in Pedro Sánchez’s government, accused by the PP of refusing to appear before the upper chamber to explain themselves.
Donald Trump has openly attacked Spain over its border. His message comes as Madrid continues to struggle to emerge from the migration crisis in Ceuta, triggered by the massive arrivals from Morocco at the end of July.
The European Commission is maintaining its support for Morocco in managing migration despite the Ceuta crisis. However, the 500 million euro package covers the entire 2021-2027 period: it is not new aid decided after the July crossings.
The Ceuta crisis is beginning to affect Moroccan tourism. Spanish agencies are not yet seeing mass cancellations, but they are recording a slowdown in new bookings to Morocco. Latin American travelers, meanwhile, continue to book as usual.
One month after the mass crossings from Morocco, Ceuta’s property market is still holding up. But some sales have been suspended, and buyers are considering forfeiting up to 30,000 euros already paid rather than signing the final agreement.