May 17, 2021: in Ceuta, a small Spanish enclave in the north-west of the Maghreb, the inhabitants see an influx of thousands of men, women and children in one day. On foot or by swimming, they arrive from neighboring Morocco. In 48 hours, nearly 12,000 people crossed the border and entered the European Union – without the Moroccan authorities intervening, according to the accounts of witnesses.
The journalist Paloma Fernández Coleto “found it incredible that the Moroccan security corps, gendarmerie and special forces not only do nothing at all, but also open a door for people to enter Spain“. In Ceuta, an unprecedented event, the Spanish army was deployed.
A form of blackmail?
What happened ? Could this be a form of diplomatic revenge? A few days earlier, the press revealed that the leader of a rebel movement calling for the independence of Western Sahara was discreetly welcomed in Spain, to be treated for Covid in a hospital.
An intolerable affront for Morocco, according to political science researcher Mehdi Alioua. In response to what they consider a betrayal, the Moroccan authorities then deliberately relaxed border controls. For Paloma Fernandez Coleto, “Morocco took revenge for the entry into Spain of the separatist by attacking Europe, but without attacking it: by sending people, children…”.
“Through Ceuta, [le Maroc] threatened the whole of the European Union, showing that he was the one who had the key to Europe’s immigration door. Then he does not stop arm wrestling. He says, ‘If I want, you’ll have thousands of people here again in a few hours’.”
Paloma Fernandez Coleto, journalistto “Further investigation”
The Moroccan authorities, they refute the accusations of pressure. Aziz Jilali Sghir, head of the migration flow management division at the Ministry of the Interior, wishes to recall “the reality of the numbers” and points out that “Morocco, thanks to its efforts, was able to prevent more than 500,000 migrants from crossing into Europe”. With this “major, indisputable contribution” according to him, “Morocco has no lessons to learn”. This episode will in any case have caused a diplomatic crisis.
Eexcerpt from “Borders: billions, failures and barbed wire”, a document to be seen in “Complément d’Enquête” on May 12, 1022.
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