Morocco Blames Spanish Court for Ceuta Crisis

Morocco has rejected accusations that it intentionally facilitated the mass arrival of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, instead blaming a Spanish court ruling for encouraging the surge.

According to a senior Moroccan official, the 8 July ruling, which restricted the immediate return of migrants arriving by sea, weakened the deterrent effect of Spain's migration policy and emboldened human trafficking networks.

The official said the networks had convinced migrants they would be protected once they crossed the border. Spain says it has returned around 69,000 migrants to Morocco since last week's mass crossing, while Rabat estimates that about 40,000 people entered Ceuta.

The death toll has reached 72 on the Spanish side of the border and 11 on the Moroccan side. EU officials and Ceuta's regional government have accused Morocco of using migration as a tool of coercion, an allegation Rabat denies.

Morocco also said it continues to deploy thousands of security personnel along its northern coast and expects Spain to restore effective deterrent measures.

(Reuters, MJA)