The Moroccan Interior Ministry has officially confirmed the deaths of 11 people in the unprecedented migrant push towards the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
In its first official report on the case, carried by state media, Rabat insisted on immediate investigation into the violence against migrants and clarification of the actions of the Spanish law enforcement authorities on the border itself. Official Moroccan data indicate that since the beginning of the crisis the situation has been under constant control, with over 40,000 illegal immigrants who attempted to cross the border fences.
Official death toll and allegations of violence
According to a statement by Moroccan Interior Ministry spokesman Rachid El Halfi, most of the 11 confirmed victims were drowned at sea while trying to bypass the water barriers near the town of Fnidek. One of the migrants died after a fatal fall from a rocky area in the border area.
Moroccan authorities have expressed deep concern over the widespread footage of physical violence and excessive force. Rabat has urged Spanish authorities to launch a transparent investigation, noting that a thorough investigation is currently underway into the figures for additional casualties on the other side of the border, where sources in Ceuta say the total death toll has reached dozens.
Morocco: “We have been monitoring the situation around Ceuta since the beginning of the crisis“
The Interior Ministry in Rabat has categorically rejected accusations that its border forces were passive during the assault. They emphasized that the Moroccan services are have been monitoring and controlling the situation around Ceuta since the beginning of the crisis, acting in coordination with their Spanish counterparts.
The government cited the following as the main catalysts for the mass gathering of people:
- Organized criminal human trafficking networks
- Artificially propagated disinformation on social networks
- A Misinterpretation of a Spanish Court Decision Limiting Immediate Expulsion of Sea Arrivals
The Number of Migrants: Rabat Statistics vs. Madrid Data
In an official statement, Morocco announced the exact parameters of the illegal migration flow. According to their records:
- About 40,000 people headed directly for Ceuta.
- Other 1135 migrants have attempted to storm the second Spanish enclave – Melilla, all of whom were stopped or immediately turned back.
These figures differ somewhat from Madrid's estimates, according to which more than 60,000 people managed to cross the border into Ceuta at the height of the crisis. By now, the majority of them have already returned voluntarily to Moroccan territory, and Spanish forces have reinforced the maritime perimeter with additional floating barriers.