Morocco turns Ceuta into leverage

After tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco flooded Spain’s Ceuta enclave last week, Rabat refused to take on the role of the villain, pinning the blame instead on a Spanish court ruling limiting returns of migrants arriving by sea. Morocco is now using the moment to argue its migration partnership with Europe needs rewriting.

Morocco is “neither the policeman nor the concierge of Europe,” but rather a sovereign partner, Morocco World News quotes a government source as saying. The messaging comes after some analysts and international leaders accused Rabat of having “encouraged and permitted” the migrant influx, even though Morocco says it never relaxed its coastal deployment. Rather than pressure Rabat, Brussels is moving to court it, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposing increasing support to Morocco and calling it “an important strategic partner.”

Where the migration figures currently stand: Spain estimates that as many as 72k migrants crossed over from Morocco into Ceuta, with 69.5k having since returned. Morocco puts the number of migrants much lower at about 40k. The death toll is a little under 100 people in total, as 72 dead were found on the Spanish side and another 11 on the Moroccan side. Many migrants who did make it to the other side turned back after failing to find food or shelter.