Throughout the entire month that the Ceuta crisis has lasted, the Government has maintained very careful language and position regarding Morocco. All members of the Executive have placed special emphasis on not blaming the neighboring country as the instigator of the migratory crisis in Ceuta. But now nuances are opening up in the government’s position.
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The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, stated in his appearance in Congress – a month after the crisis was triggered – that “as of today” no institution or organization, national or international, has provided “solid evidence” – a few days ago only evidence was mentioned – that Morocco executed or organized the border jump. But now the head of the Executive is more cautious. And he is clear but “as of today,” leaving the door open for that responsibility to be determined in the future.
His position is that no report or analysis has determined “as of today” whether there were profiles associated with the states of Morocco, Russia, or Israel coordinating the massive entry of immigrants. But now he does not close the door to that responsibility being determined as investigations progress. “This as of today is ruled out by our intelligence services, I say for now,” he clarified.
In fact, it has gone from the absolute denial that there was evidence of Morocco’s involvement to stating that if it is proven, action will be taken accordingly. “If there were solid evidence – a nuance in the adjective – we would act with full force as the situation demands,” Sánchez verbalized for the first time. In fact, he revealed that the Government summoned the Moroccan ambassador, Karima Benyaich, on August 21, information that had not been made public until now, after two ministers from the neighboring country had claimed the “historic right” over Ceuta and Melilla. On other occasions, with other countries, it has been communicated immediately.
This nuance in the Government’s position comes hours after a report from the National Immigration and Borders Center delivered to the magistrate of the National Court María Tardón became known, which indirectly points to Morocco’s participation in the events that occurred on July 30 and 31 in Ceuta, including verbatim references to what happened such as: “prior planning,” “active guidance by Moroccan Forces,” and operations “beyond the reach” of the mafias.
Sánchez described three moments in the actions of the Moroccan gendarmes: before July 31 they acted, he said, “normally”; on July 31 “they facilitated the crossing”; and in the following days “they effectively controlled” the border. “If there was incapacity or inaction, that is something that must be clarified. I am convinced that the Security Forces and the judge will find the keys.”
Additionally, the President of the Government denied in Congress that the Government had reports on the table warning of the “massive entry” that occurred on July 30 and 31 in Ceuta. The Government “did not receive extraordinary alerts or warnings that anticipated what happened afterward.” And this despite the fact that, as this newspaper has published, in the days prior, two intelligence reports did warn of a “massive” entry and “collapse.”
“We have examined, ladies and gentlemen, all the reports, all the messages, verbal notes from the State security forces, also from our National Intelligence Center, which were sent both to political authorities and also to the Government delegation. And I can assure you that none went beyond the description of the data or routine warning. And none, by the way, foresaw either the scale or the probability of what finally happened.” That is, La Moncloa maintains its position that nothing predicted what happened.
On July 27, there was a phone conversation between Juan Jesús Vivas, president of Ceuta, and Sánchez’s chief of staff, Diego Rubio. According to the regional leader, he expressed his concern about the increase in arrivals that threatened to collapse the city. Sánchez has questioned this version. “He pointed out to us that the swim crossings had gone from 10 to 20 daily and that at that rate he was worried about ending up with 200 more migrants in the city by the end of the week. A situation for which he asked that we notify the Ministry of the Interior, which is what we did.”
In the description the head of the Executive makes of the crisis, he points out that those days saw an increase in entries but that, in his view, he focused on the normality of the increase in flow with the arrival of summer. The head of the Executive has ordered the publication of a dossier with all the reports the Executive has.
According to Sánchez’s details, between July 10 and 25, swim entries across the Ceuta border increased to an average of 37 daily, “slightly higher than usual,” and the night before the “avalanche” the figure rose to 194. At that time, both the Government of Spain and Ceuta “detected that increase and coordinated” in response to a surge that, he noted, “was by no means unprecedented or exceptional.”
Already on the morning of the 30th, he said that “the situation changes radically” when the “ruling that prevented hot returns” began to spread on social media and at that moment dozens of young people began to cross via the Tarajal breakwater. “Faced with this situation, the deployed agents had to decide between letting them pass or trying to contain them by force, which obviously would have caused an even greater tragedy,” he emphasized in reference to the 141 deaths by drowning and crushing.
“Mistakes”
One of the criticisms Sánchez has received, especially after his interview on Ser, was what many considered a lack of empathy with the people of Ceuta. In his speech, he did not want to reopen that rift and addressed them expressly.
“I am aware that you are living through difficult moments. That you are feeling fear and also anguish (…) The response that the administrations have given is not enough. It will never be enough until normality is restored.” It is the first time the head of the Executive has made himself the subject of this kind of self-criticism. On September 2, on the occasion of Ceuta Day, he used a formula that made the ‘caballa’ the subject: “I take responsibility that, for many of you, until normality is restored the state’s response is insufficient.” This Thursday, in Congress, he made himself the subject. “We have had our successes, also our mistakes, like everyone,” he said during his roughly hour-and-a-quarter speech.
To date, the only public self-criticism that had been conveyed from the Government was from the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, who apologized to the people of Ceuta if they had felt abandoned.
The President of the Government has also specified when the King might visit Ceuta, and also Melilla, one of the issues that has been discussed throughout this month of crisis, after Juan Jesús Vivas, president of Ceuta, revealed the monarch’s “personal commitment” to make the visit: “In the coming weeks,” Sánchez said, to “convey the State’s absolute commitment to these two autonomous cities.”
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