In short
- Spain’s National Intelligence Service (CNI) told Moroccan and Ceuta authorities on 29 July that WhatsApp and Facebook groups were promoting a mass crossing into Ceuta the following day, according to declassified government documents.
- At least 72,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on 30 and 31 July, most of them swimming around a border fence.
- At least 100 people died during the crossing, according to figures from Ceuta’s mayor.
- As many as 5,000 of those who crossed remain in Ceuta in makeshift camps or sleeping on the streets and beaches.
- More than 40 security documents linked to the Ceuta crossing were declassified by the Spanish government.
Spain’s National Intelligence Service (CNI) warned Moroccan and Ceuta authorities on 29 July that social media groups were encouraging migrants to cross into the Spanish exclave the following day, according to more than 40 security documents declassified by the Spanish government. At least 72,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on 30 and 31 July.
What did the declassified documents reveal?
In a note dated 29 July, the CNI told Moroccan intelligence it had identified WhatsApp and Facebook groups promoting an attempt by migrants to reach Ceuta the next day, “both swimming and via the [border] fence”. The service reported that around 180,000 people were receiving the messages. One message quoted in the material read: “Whoever wants to cross has the last chance on Throne Day [30 July] at 8 the authorities will be distracted with the celebrations and parades.”
The CNI also sent a text message warning to the central government’s representation in Ceuta and to the Civil Guard about the social media activity. The documents were declassified after mounting pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez over his handling of the influx, and after widespread allegations in Spain that Morocco helped facilitate the crossings.
How many people crossed into Ceuta and how many died?
At least 72,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on 30 and 31 July. Most swam around a border fence, and at least 100 people died during the crossing, according to figures from Ceuta’s mayor. Europe has recorded other mass-casualty incidents, among them a coach crash in the Swiss Alps that killed several Dutch tourists.
What has Pedro Sánchez said?
Sánchez has said the events of 30 July were impossible to predict. He told parliament there was “no information that conveyed the magnitude” of the “crisis we were going to suffer” on the last two days of July. Shortly before the documents were released, he told Spanish television that “the mass arrival of migrants was not expected”. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said he was “not aware of any report that might have foreseen the magnitude of what happened on July 30”.
What do opposition parties say?
Opposition politicians say the released material contradicts the government’s account. Ester Muñoz of the conservative People’s Party said: “They had the information, they are directly responsible for the invasion of Ceuta and for those who died.” Jorge Buxadé of the far-right Vox said on social media that the documents showed Sánchez “and his band of criminals should be brought before the Supreme Court for treason and security crimes”.
How many migrants remain in Ceuta?
Most of those who crossed returned to Morocco, but as many as 5,000 remain in makeshift camps or are sleeping on the streets and beaches of the autonomous Spanish city in North Africa. Locals have expressed safety concerns, and some have destroyed shelters and blocked aid being supplied to the migrants. Deadly incidents involving large crowds have also been recorded elsewhere, including a fire at a school in Bukavu, DR Congo, that killed at least 24 children in a stampede.
How has the government responded?
Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano, the central government’s delegate in Ceuta, said: “The Whatsapps from [July] 29 do not constitute an alert or a report. It is nothing more than an exchange of information.” A government source said the published documents showed the information available before the mass crossing did not make it possible to anticipate the scale of the crisis or prepare the necessary response in enough time. Sánchez has maintained there is no evidence suggesting Moroccan complicity, after a leaked Spanish police report appeared to implicate Moroccan police in the incident.
Frequently asked questions
What did Spain’s intelligence service know before the Ceuta crossing?
In a note dated 29 July, the CNI told Moroccan intelligence it had identified WhatsApp and Facebook groups promoting a crossing into Ceuta the following day, and said around 180,000 people were receiving the messages.
How many people crossed into Ceuta in July?
At least 72,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on 30 and 31 July, most of them swimming around a border fence, and at least 100 people died, according to figures from Ceuta’s mayor.
Why were the Spanish documents declassified?
The government released more than 40 security documents linked to the crossing after mounting pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez over his handling of the influx and allegations in Spain that Morocco facilitated it.
What does the Spanish government say about the warning?
Pedro Sánchez says the mass arrival was not expected and that there is no evidence of Moroccan complicity; his delegate in Ceuta said the 29 July messages were “nothing more than an exchange of information”, not an alert.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. South-Korea, Gyodong Island, Insa-ri (2), rice fields in winter, border — Vincent van Zeijst / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)