Bishop accuses Morocco of using Ceuta migrant surge

A Spanish bishop has accused Morocco of using migrants as political “ammunition” after more than 10,000 people stormed the border into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta this week.

Bishop Francisco Cases of Ceuta said the surge was not a spontaneous humanitarian crisis but part of a calculated move in a wider geopolitical game. He pointed to Morocco’s decision to relax border controls just as Spain hosted Western leaders for a NATO summit. The bishop, who runs the local diocese, said ordinary people were being turned into pawns in a high-stakes diplomatic dispute over Western Sahara and fisheries rights.

Morocco usually prevents large-scale crossings, but this week it allowed thousands—many of them minors—to reach Ceuta’s beaches unchecked. Spain scrambled troops, closed schools and deployed drones to push people back. At least 23 people drowned in the Mediterranean during the rush, and 4,000 minors are now sleeping in temporary tents without proper care. The European Union called the tactic “unacceptable” but stopped short of threatening sanctions. Morocco insists it was responding to provocations, including Spain’s decision to allow the leader of the Polisario Front to receive cancer treatment in a Spanish hospital.

Spain’s government now faces a political headache. The opposition blames Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for failing to prevent the crisis, while aid groups warn that returning migrants without proper procedures violates international law. The bishop said the real issue runs deeper: the EU’s failure to offer Morocco a credible plan on migration and trade. Unless Brussels and Madrid engage with Rabat on shared interests—not just pressure—the tactic could be repeated. The enclave of 85,000 residents remains on edge, knowing that the next geopolitical move could arrive at any time.