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Spanish government received intelligence warnings of Ceuta migrant surge days before crisis
Euronews.com • • world
Key Points:
- Spanish intelligence sources indicated the government had advance warning of a potential mass migrant arrival in Ceuta, with alerts issued days before tens of thousands crossed from Morocco.
- Nearly 1,000 migrants swam into Ceuta over ten days as a possible test by Moroccan authorities, culminating in 60,000 to 75,000 crossings, the largest migration crisis in the city's history.
- Spanish border forces were overwhelmed and criticized for not deploying the army sooner, despite military units being on standby in Ceuta and Melilla.
- Moroccan gendarmerie reportedly did not intervene during the crossings, contrasting with previous incidents in 2021 when Morocco relaxed border controls diplomatically.
- The Spanish government blamed people-smuggling networks for exploiting a Supreme Court ruling and insisted Morocco cooperated swiftly, though reinforcements were only deployed after the crisis escalated.
