Spain's Intelligence Warned Madrid and Rabat of Impending Migrant Influx

Spain's National Intelligence Centre (CNI) warned the authorities of both countries one day before the mass infiltration of migrants from Morocco into Ceuta about possible attempts to cross the border, the Spanish news agency EFE reported on September 9, citing documents published by the country's government.

On July 29, the CNI informed the authorities of both countries about calls detected on social media to enter Ceuta on July 30, during Morocco's celebration of Throne Day. The calls involved crossing the border by swimming and over fences.

In particular, intelligence identified several social media groups with a total of around 180,000 members. The messages suggested taking advantage of the fact that Moroccan security forces at the border would be deployed to guard holiday events.

The CNI passed the information to Moroccan special services, the Spanish government's office in Ceuta, and the Civil Guard.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, however, stated that he did not have prior information indicating the scale of the subsequent migrant influx.

"Within my official duties and based on my personal experience that day, I did not possess any information that would have indicated the scale of this surge," Albares stated.

Earlier in September, the head of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, stated in the European Parliament that Morocco is prepared to use migration pressure as a weapon against the European Union (EU), particularly to destabilize the situation in the Spanish enclave. According to him, the illegal entry of 80,000 migrants into Ceuta "could not have happened without the Moroccan authorities' knowledge of the preparation for this influx."

Migration Crisis in Spain's African Enclaves

Spain's two enclaves on the Moroccan coast, Ceuta and Melilla, have the only land border between the European Union and Africa. Migrants attempting to reach Europe regularly organize attempts at mass entry into these territories.