Spain faces a new migration crisis due to the diplomatic conflict with Morocco
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has made an institutional declaration in which he has stressed that the Executive will be "firm in guaranteeing their safety in the face of any challenge, eventuality and under any circumstances". He also spoke with King Felipe VI, to whom he communicated the lines of action to be followed by the Spanish Government, which will be directed by a situation committee that has been approved by the Council of Ministers itself.
In addition to Felipe VI, the President of the Government has contacted the main opposition leader, Pablo Casado, to inform him of the situation, as well as the various leaders of the European Union, who have sent a message of solidarity and support to the autonomous cities.
Pedro Sánchez, who will travel to Ceuta as a matter of urgency to deal with the migration crisis, has declared that "his priority as President of Spain is to guarantee control at the borders and proceed to the immediate return of anyone who has entered Ceuta and Melilla irregularly, as established in the agreements signed with the Kingdom". Finally, he stressed that the government is seeking to "strengthen the friendly relationship with our Moroccan neighbours. Economic, cultural and strategic ties lead both countries to cooperate, but for this cooperation to be effective, it must be based on respect".
Dozens of migrants continue to arrive on the coast of Ceuta, as an unprecedented day has seen 6,000 people enter the Spanish city on the border with Morocco in 24 hours. It is estimated that a third of the migrants are minors.
The Spanish government, faced with the impassivity of the Moroccan gendarmerie, has deployed several army units whose main function, according to the EFE news agency, is to group together the new arrivals, collaborate in logistics and help maintain calm. Contrary to the silence of the Moroccan authorities, Pedro Sánchez's government has already made a statement on this new migration crisis.
The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, declared during an interview on TVE that "the government always acts jointly. We are working to reverse the extraordinary situation. We have already returned 1,500 people illegally yesterday. And we continue to work as much as necessary". For his part, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced that he was cancelling his trip to Paris, scheduled for today, to deal with the situation in Ceuta.
As the Spanish Prime Minister wrote on his Twitter account: "My priority at the moment is to return Ceuta to normality. Its citizens must know that they have the absolute support of the Spanish Government and the utmost firmness to ensure their security and defend their integrity as part of the country in the face of any challenge".
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha González-Laya, has also commented on the migratory crisis that the autonomous city is experiencing. During an interview on Cadena Ser, the minister declared that this crisis with Morocco in Ceuta and Melilla "is not the result of a disagreement" between the two countries, and that she cannot conceive of "putting the lives of minors at risk as a response to a humanitarian action". The Minister of Foreign Affairs referred to the diplomatic crisis that is currently taking place between Spain and the Kingdom of Morocco, which, according to her statements, is not related to this new wave of migration. Arancha González-Laya, has summoned the Moroccan ambassador, Karima Benyaich, for consultations, who declared in an interview with Europa Press that there are acts that have consequences, "and they have to be assumed".
The passivity of the Moroccan authorities, as well as their silence, may be closely related to the Spanish government's reception of the Secretary General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, who was admitted to a hospital in Logroño on 22 April to be treated for coronavirus. Morocco has repeatedly criticised the attitude of Sánchez's government, which it has described as "contrary to the spirit of partnership and good neighbourliness".
Morocco claims that Spain failed to inform it of Ghali's presence on its territory, as well as his registration at the hospital under a false identity. The Spanish government has justified his hospital stay "for humanitarian reasons". Brahim Ghali is also due to face trial on 1 June, where he is accused of crimes of illegal detention, torture and crimes against humanity. The Spanish foreign minister reportedly stated that, if the justice system considers that Ghali should appear, "the government will not stand in the way".
It seems that the explanations provided by the Spanish government have not been enough for Morocco, and it has decided to cut off all cooperation on migration issues. During an interview with a Moroccan channel on 16 May, the director of the Moroccan Judicial Police, Mohammed Dkhissi, claimed to have suspended cooperation and police coordination with his Spanish counterparts while waiting for Spain to correct its mistake in receiving Brahim Ghali, contradicting the Spanish foreign minister, who disassociated this action from the diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
The migration crisis in Ceuta was the focus of much of the debate during the Council of Ministers.Likewise, in the same council, Pedro Sánchez's government has approved this Tuesday the granting of 30 million euros to help Morocco in its police deployment against irregular immigration. According to reports from Moncloa, this item was already included in the budget and had therefore been scheduled for approval last week, before the outbreak of the migration crisis. The Government spokesperson, María Jesús Montero, during the press conference following the Council wanted to send a message of "calm, confidence and solidarity with the Spanish citizens of Ceuta and Melilla".
For his part, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, said that the government is using "all necessary means to protect the integrity of the borders and return people who are entering our country illegally through the established channels". The minister confirmed that 2700 of the more than 6000 people who have entered through the Ceuta border have already been returned. He also stressed that the government has mobilised a further 200 troops in addition to the 1,100 agents already at the border. "This is an extraordinary and exceptional situation, we have been implementing a migration policy for three years", the minister stressed.
Furthermore, both the government spokesperson and Grande Marlaska condemned the xenophobic messages, which have been multiplying in recent hours as a result of the migration crisis. "Just as we are going to be belligerent in defending the borders in Ceuta, we will be equally belligerent with hate speeches", said the Minister of the Interior, who will travel to the autonomous city to deal with this massive arrival of migrants.