Spain’s PM Rushes to Ceuta as Thousands of Migrants Cross from Morocco

In a statement, the government announced that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has decided to cancel his participation on Tuesday in Paris at a summit on financing African economies due to the crisis caused by the influx of thousands of migrants to the city of Sebta.

According to figures provided by the Spanish government, 6,000 people have joined the Sebta enclave, and about 1,500 migrants have already been expelled to Morocco. "We will restore order in (the) city and at our borders as soon as possible," Pedro Sanchez promised during a visit to Ceuta on Tuesday. He intends to play the card of firmness in order to "guarantee security" in the Spanish enclave. The head of government has also decided to go to Melilla, which has recorded the arrival of more than 300 illegal migrants.

According to the Spanish press, the influx of Moroccan migrants to Sebta is the consequence of the emergency admission of Brahim Ghali, the Polisario leader, to a hospital in Logroño, not far from Saragossa, under a false identity for "humanitarian reasons". Arancha González Laya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Spanish Cooperation, does not share this view.

In an interview with Cadena Ser radio, she ruled out any link between the disagreement with Rabat on this issue and the arrival of thousands of Moroccan migrants in the Spanish enclave of Sebta. "I cannot conceive that one can endanger the lives of minors at sea as we have seen in the last few hours in Ceuta," and that this could be "a response to a humanitarian action," added the head of Spanish diplomacy.