Must have been distracted

Spain Ignored Warning About the Ceuta Rush

Tens of thousands of refugees stormed the Spanish exclave of Ceuta; the Spanish government is said to have been warned in advance.(Bild: AFP/ABDEL MAJID BZIOUAT)

Nearly 60,000 migrants flooded into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta within 24 hours, causing panic among local residents. The situation has since calmed down somewhat. But serious accusations are now being leveled: The government is said to have ignored warnings about the influx of refugees because it was distracted.

For the Spanish government, the flood of migrants into the North African exclave from Morocco reportedly came as a surprise. “We had absolutely no information,” a high-ranking government official admitted to the Spanish newspaper “El País.” If the government had been able to foresee the influx of refugees, so many people would not have entered the country, the insider explained.

Yet there were reportedly even several warnings. Spain’s National Gendarmerie and Ceuta Regional President Juan Jesús Vivas repeatedly sounded the alarm that more and more migrants were coming to Ceuta by sea. “There was a steady influx of people,” another high-ranking government official admitted to “El País.” However: “But nobody was talking about Ceuta at the time.” And then, “practically overnight,” everything came crashing down on the government.

Spain’s National Gendarmerie and the regional president of Ceuta are said to have warned the government about the migrants.(Bild: AFP/ABDEL MAJID BZIOUAT)

Spaniards Were Distracted
This was because the Spaniards were distracted by an urgent problem on the mainland. Severe wildfires were raging in several regions, and nearly 100,000 people had to be evacuated. For a week, the Prime Minister’s Office and several ministries are said to have focused on bringing the situation under control—including the Ministry of the Interior, which is responsible for border protection. The border with Morocco reportedly played no major role during this time.

Just as quickly as the situation in Ceuta escalated, it is said to have calmed down again. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares effectively declared the crisis over on Friday. Nearly all of the 60,000 migrants had already returned to neighboring Morocco. However, some did remain in Ceuta, and the reception centers are overwhelmed. On Friday night, migrants roamed the streets, looking for a place to sleep, among other things, as shown in footage from the broadcaster RTVE.

Tens of thousands of refugees stormed the Spanish exclave of Ceuta; the Spanish government is said to have been warned in advance.(Bild: AFP/ABDEL MAJID BZIOUAT)

Criticism from Neighbors
The current situation is undoubtedly still extremely challenging for the Spanish. However, Spain’s European neighbors did not show much sympathy; instead, criticism rained down from all sides. Italy took a particularly drastic step and temporarily suspended the Schengen Agreement with Spain, while France stepped up border controls.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker (ÖVP) also spoke out strongly. “Conditions like these have no place in the European Union,” he said. “Spain is endangering the entire European Union,” came harsh criticism from Minister for European Affairs Claudia Bauer as well. Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner assured after a conversation with Minister Albares that “not a single person” had crossed the border into the EU mainland.

EU Crisis Meeting
Experts from the EU member states plan to meet on Saturday for a crisis meeting to discuss the developments of the past few days, according to a spokesperson for the Irish Council Presidency. However, the details of the discussions will likely remain behind closed doors. On Monday, the ambassadors of the EU member states will meet to assess the situation and facilitate further coordination.