{"id":2976,"date":"2026-08-03T14:40:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T14:40:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnnglobalnews.com\/2026\/08\/03\/ceuta-leader-accuses-morocco-over-atrocity-of-mass-border-crossing\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T14:40:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T14:40:53","slug":"ceuta-leader-accuses-morocco-over-atrocity-of-mass-border-crossing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=2976","title":{"rendered":"Ceuta leader accuses Morocco over \u2018atrocity\u2019 of mass border crossing"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"5d2a5769-6218-413c-b982-226ccf1710d1\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"People sit in the shade of a tree on a beach in Ceuta\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/627df0859f4b87862448d1d2a1071cdb1861ff74\/569_0_3388_2710\/master\/3388.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"371.94510035419125\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">People sit in the shade of a tree on a beach in Ceuta on Monday.<\/span> Photograph: Violeta Santos Moura\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"5d2a5769-6218-413c-b982-226ccf1710d1\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">People sit in the shade of a tree on a beach in Ceuta on Monday.<\/span> Photograph: Violeta Santos Moura\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">Ceuta leader accuses Morocco over \u2018atrocity\u2019 of mass border crossing<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1gm5ptv\">\n<p>Juan Jes\u00fas Vivas says influx seen as \u2018at least encouraged or permitted\u2019 by Rabat, as Spain demands EU solidarity<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/jul\/31\/ceuta-spain-eu-border-africa\" data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\">Explainer: why is Ceuta a migration flashpoint?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">A growing chorus of voices have accused <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/morocco\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Morocco<\/a> of helping to fuel the crisis in Ceuta, with the leader of the Spanish enclave describing last week\u2019s border crossings as an attack on Spain\u2019s territorial integrity that was seen as being \u201cif not orchestrated, at least encouraged or permitted by Morocco\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Spain\u2019s interior ministry said late last week that 48,300 of the roughly 50,000 people who had turned up in Ceuta, a tiny Spanish territory in north Africa, had been sent back to Morocco. The extraordinary influx had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/aug\/02\/ceuta-border-crossing-spain-morocco\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">overwhelmed<\/a> the city of 84,000 and set off <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/aug\/01\/spain-pedro-sanchez-calls-for-eu-meeting-ceuta-border-crossing\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">a political crisis<\/a> across the EU as some member states laid blame on Spain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In Ceuta, leaders pointed to the broader picture of what had transpired. \u201cIt\u2019s an atrocity,\u201d said Juan Jes\u00fas Vivas, the long-serving conservative leader of the territory. \u201cThere are 88 bodies in the morgue, and there are more on the other side of the border.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">He said locals watched the events play out with a mix of sadness, worry and anguish. \u201cPeople see this as not as a migration crisis; it was fundamentally an attack, a violation of Spain\u2019s territorial integrity,\u201d Vivas told El Pa\u00eds newspaper. \u201cPeople felt that this, if not orchestrated, was at least encouraged or permitted by Morocco.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">He drew a parallel with May 2021 when Rabat loosened border controls, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2021\/may\/17\/record-1000-migrants-reach-spains-north-african-enclave-ceuta-in-a-day\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">allowing 10,000 people to cross into Ceuta<\/a> over the course of two days, during a diplomatic standoff over Madrid\u2019s decision to allow a Western Sahara independence leader to be treated for Covid-19 in Spain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The insinuation of Moroccan involvement appeared to be backed by the preliminary assessment of Spanish intelligence services, who cited suspicions that the influx had not been planned by Moroccan authorities but concluded that Morocco had failed to stem the tide of people rushing towards the border and in some cases had even facilitated their passage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Intelligence sources told El Pa\u00eds that the roots of the influx probably lay in a hoax that had swiftly spread across social media after a Spanish supreme court ruling that migrants arriving by sea could not be summarily deported. As the hoax gained steam online, Moroccan border surveillance dwindled to a minimum until it was completely lifted late last week, allowing tens of thousands of people to stream through.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"f5223ecb-aba3-4e57-a0e5-2887f5902678\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"People sit or lie next to a wall on a street \" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/511ed3d68af9b0eadaf2a3e76b4944526ff074e1\/126_0_3780_3024\/master\/3780.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"356\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"f5223ecb-aba3-4e57-a0e5-2887f5902678\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-174mzkf\"><span class=\"dcr-vyhg7z\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">People who crossed from Morocco sit on a street in Ceuta on Monday.<\/span> Photograph: Reduan\/EPA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In Ceuta on Monday, hundreds of people continued to sleep rough on the beach or near Ceuta\u2019s mosques.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Ashraf, 28, said he had defied his mother\u2019s warnings against crossing into Spain after spotting posts on social media that said the border had been opened. While he had made it to Ceuta, what had followed was a days-long ordeal as he scrambled to find food and shelter while fending off the memories of what he had lived through.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cYou might see me smile a little but inside I\u2019m shattered,\u201d the Moroccan national said as he recalled swimming past bodies to reach Ceuta. \u201cThere were so many people in the sea. Everyone was trying to grab on to you to save themselves, and you were trying to escape and move forward so they wouldn\u2019t drag you down or drown you. The Moroccan police were pushing us toward the water and telling us \u2018swim, swim\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"f059c793-4cc4-4d06-813a-6d000766abb1\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-11 | 11\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1rx5ky9\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-uyoh2p\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/aug\/02\/ceuta-border-crossing-spain-morocco\" class=\"dcr-f35c0u\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-vvxpdt\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6z6e7\">\n<div class=\"dcr-zh9rih\">Chaos of border crossing gives way to limbo for Moroccans on Ceuta\u2019s streets<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-oj13vq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ef9nua\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Others were desperately seeking loved ones who were missing. One mother said she had been roaming the streets of Ceuta for days, frantically searching for any sign of her children aged 13 and 16.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The three had left Morocco together, plunging into the sea to make their way around the border. As strong currents pulled at them, she lost sight of her children.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cI need help,\u201d she said as she held up a photo of a smiling young boy flashing a thumbs-up sign. \u201cSome migrants told me they had seen them in Ceuta, but I can\u2019t find them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Across the EU, the crisis in Ceuta had seemingly ushered in a moment of reckoning after a handful of EU countries responded to the crisis by calling for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen free-movement zone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Ahead of a meeting of interior ministers on Tuesday to address the crisis, Spain\u2019s foreign minister said the country would demand solidarity from EU members after several had, in his view, \u201cfallen short\u201d of what was expected.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cThere was a synchronised reactionary international effort that very quickly amplified what was happening, spreading lies and fake news about the integrity of the Schengen area and about Spain\u2019s actions,\u201d Jos\u00e9 Manuel Albares told the broadcaster TVE. \u201cUnfortunately, these falsehoods have even been amplified by some European governments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, said in a letter to Spain\u2019s prime minister, Pedro S\u00e1nchez, that the Tuesday meeting would be a chance to draw lessons from what happened in Ceuta, she commended Madrid for its swift handling of the crisis. \u201cFrom this incident, it is clear that we must do more to further strengthen our borders at critical points,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"37ccbfed-2008-4c69-a05d-71dd79e07e54\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\">\n<div id=\"img-3\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A man stands holding an empty Coke bottle near people sitting on the ground outside a building\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c9c8c06d7fe2a061fe9bddaecae1bc29a4b63fb2\/500_0_5000_4000\/master\/5000.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"356\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><a href=\"#img-3\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"37ccbfed-2008-4c69-a05d-71dd79e07e54\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-174mzkf\"><span class=\"dcr-vyhg7z\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">People wait outside Ceuta&#8217;s temporary migrant centre, which is at full capacity.<\/span> Photograph: Pedro Nunes\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">At a meeting of member states on Saturday, the Guardian was told that while Italy and Denmark, with some support from Poland and Sweden, criticised Spain for what had happened, there was a strong suspicion that the crisis was not an accident but had been coordinated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">There was widespread recognition that Spain could not simply pin the blame on Morocco, given the close cooperation needed to return those who had crossed and, in the longer term, for migration control and security, a source said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">EU states also spoke about the threat of Russian disinformation and how it could exploit the crisis to heighten tensions across the bloc, he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The concerns burst into public view late last week when Ukraine\u2019s acting foreign minister said more than 1,500 publications regarding Ceuta had been identified in pro-Russian networks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cWe have detected an intensive Russian propaganda campaign across Europe using pictures from Ceuta to sow destabilisation,\u201d Andrii Sybiha wrote on social media. \u201cThis is not about the situation itself but about the way Russia tries to exploit any topic that can benefit its agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/spain\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Spain<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/morocco\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Morocco<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/eu\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">European Union<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/europe-news\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Europe<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/africa\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Africa<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/middleeast\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Middle East and north Africa<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Ceuta%20leader%20accuses%20Morocco%20over%20%E2%80%98atrocity%E2%80%99%20of%20mass%20border%20crossing&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/aug\/03\/ceuta-leader-border-crossing-morocco-spain?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2026%2Faug%2F03%2Fceuta-leader-border-crossing-morocco-spain&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=world\/2026\/aug\/03\/ceuta-leader-border-crossing-morocco-spain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1kq7f60\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>People sit in the shade of a tree on a beach in Ceuta on Monday. Photograph: Violeta Santos Moura\/Reuters View image in fullscreen People sit in the shade of a &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=2976\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}