{"id":5055,"date":"2026-08-01T14:24:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T13:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/?p=5055"},"modified":"2026-08-01T14:24:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T13:24:11","slug":"morocco-blames-criminal-networks-for-mass-migration-attempts-to-ceuta-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/morocco-blames-criminal-networks-for-mass-migration-attempts-to-ceuta-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Morocco blames criminal networks for mass migration attempts to Ceuta"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\" dir=\"ltr\">Morocco has blamed criminal networks for the recent mass migration attempts to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, insisting that the incidents do not reflect any policy of encouraging irregular migration. Moroccan authorities said human trafficking and migrant smuggling groups are responsible for organizing the crossings and exploiting vulnerable people with false promises.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\" dir=\"ltr\">According to diplomatic sources at the Moroccan Embassy in Madrid, quoted by Europa Press, the recent attempts to enter Ceuta were orchestrated by criminal organizations that profit from human trafficking. The sources said these groups target vulnerable individuals, encourage dangerous journeys, and expose migrants to significant risks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\" dir=\"ltr\">Moroccan officials stressed that the country does not support or facilitate the irregular migration of its citizens. They said trafficking networks exploit desperation while placing people&#8217;s lives and safety in danger.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\" dir=\"ltr\">The statements came after several days of heightened migration pressure at the Ceuta border. Hundreds of women, men, minors, and children attempted to reach the Spanish enclave by swimming or using other irregular routes. Videos circulating on social media showed groups of migrants entering the sea, including nighttime crossings, while other footage captured celebrations by people who successfully reached Spanish territory.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\" dir=\"ltr\">Diplomatic sources also suggested that the latest movements may have been influenced by criminal groups exploiting a recent ruling by Spain&#8217;s Supreme Court concerning procedures for returning migrants intercepted at sea.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\" dir=\"ltr\">Morocco reaffirmed that its migration cooperation with Spain remains one of the strongest pillars of the strategic partnership between the two countries. Officials described the collaboration as based on mutual trust, shared responsibility, and close operational coordination, portraying Morocco as a reliable partner for both Spain and the European Union in managing migration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\" dir=\"ltr\">Moroccan authorities said they continue to intensify efforts to prevent irregular departures, dismantle trafficking networks, and strengthen operational cooperation with Spanish and European counterparts. Rabat also reiterated its commitment to addressing migration challenges while respecting human dignity, the rule of law, and the shared interests of both countries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\" dir=\"ltr\">On the Spanish side, the Interior Ministry announced that it would implement measures to safeguard public security and protect the country&#8217;s borders. However, the ministry said the situation did not justify declaring a national emergency.<\/p>\n<p class=\"isSelectedEnd\" dir=\"ltr\">Rachid Sbihi, head of the association representing Spain&#8217;s Civil Guard officers in Ceuta, described the situation as &#8220;absolute chaos,&#8221; saying that thousands of migrants had attempted to cross the border and that border controls had effectively collapsed.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Meanwhile, Spanish news agency EFE reported that Morocco and Spain had reached an agreement to return all migrants who entered Ceuta during the latest wave of crossings to Moroccan territory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Morocco has blamed criminal networks for the recent mass migration attempts to the Spanish enclave&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[2052,4552,264,273],"class_list":["post-5055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-border-security","tag-irregular-migration","tag-morocco","tag-spain"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5055"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5055\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5057,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5055\/revisions\/5057"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawaya24.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}