Spain Rejects Military Plan to Bolster Border Security Amid Ceuta Migration Crisis

The plan proposed by the army provided for the rapid deployment of a light contingent in Ceuta to temporarily ensure the defense of the autonomous city. The army’s objective was to send a strong "message" to Morocco, after it allowed a massive influx of migrants into Ceuta, between May 17 and 19.

The Ministry of Defense, a member of the crisis cell set up by the government of Pedro Sanchez, designed this plan which consists of deploying in Ceuta and Melilla a force of about a hundred agents from the Legion, in particular from the "King Alfonso XIII" Brigade, and the Legion’s special operations unit (BOEL), under the pretext of "routine military exercises", informs OKDIARIO, citing military sources. Maneuvers that, it would seem, were planned before the crisis, and the troops should withdraw once the crisis has calmed down.

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Such a presence would not aggravate the crisis, according to Sanchez’s office. The action to be taken, explained the Ministry of Defense, is called a "gray area" in military jargon. It is actually a veiled threat, without the intention of opening an armed conflict. The Moncloa rejected this proposal and preferred the diplomatic route to resolve the crisis.

Last week, Spanish military aircraft were spotted in the sky over Ceuta, causing concern and questions from the residents, during this period of crisis with Morocco.