Morocco Orchestrated Migrant Crisis to Pressure Spain on Western Sahara, Intelligence Report Reveals

In an initial report accessed by El País, drawn up on the very day the migration crisis occurred, the Spanish intelligence services stressed the direct involvement of King Mohammed VI in the implementation of the "perfectly planned and directed at the highest level of power" strategy. It also cites Fouad Ali el-Himma, the King of Morocco’s adviser, as the one who conceived this strategy, as well as Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Abdellatif Hammouchi, Director General of Territorial Surveillance (DGST).

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In a second report dated June 26, the secret services stressed that Morocco’s intention was "to put pressure on the Spanish government to obtain a favorable position in the Western Sahara conflict". On March 14, ten months after the migration crisis, the Spanish Executive expressed its support for the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara.