Ceuta crisis: Spanish government releases documents

On Wednesday afternoon, the Spanish government released 40 police and intelligence documents from the month before the attack on the Ceuta exclave. The left-wing coalition under Pedro Sánchez wants to counter all kinds of false information from the right-wing opposition about the incidents on July 30th and 31st. This is only partially successful because there is something for everyone in the papers. They allow for different interpretations depending on political interests.

The security authorities actually warned in advance of the rush, in which over 70,000 people coming from Morocco swam around the border facilities. This is shown, among other things, by a communication from the CNI secret service. In addition to the government delegation in Ceuta and the paramilitary police Guardia Civil, which oversees the border, he also informed Morocco about calls circulating on social media.

“There are two groups with a total of 180,000 followers. To give you an idea of ​​the reach of the distribution,” wrote a CNI representative in a WhatsApp conversation on July 29th. However, the CNI made no precise predictions as to whether and what would happen. The Cenif immigration police identified 1,000 illegal immigrants in July before the rush - this can also be seen from the documents. “A drastic increase compared to the previous year,” said the authority. But the immigration police weren't sure what was coming either.

The question of whether Morocco was directly involved in organizing the action cannot be answered even after the documents have been published. The secret services warned - as the border came under pressure - of the "passivity" of the Moroccan security forces, but there was no evidence that Morocco had "actively encouraged" the onslaught. Rather, the security forces were simply overwhelmed.

The taz foreign podcast remote connection to the Ceuta crisis. From Morocco, 72,000 people crossed the border to the Spanish exclave. Were they manipulated to put Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez under pressure?

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez sees the documents as confirming his version of things. "At no time did the CNI send a formal communication to its chain of command or to any member of the government. There were no telephone calls or requests for face-to-face meetings. An authority that assumes that there will be a mass intrusion the next day does not communicate this via messenger service, but rather reports it through the official channels. This is their responsibility and competence," the government said on Wednesday.

So no one could have predicted the crisis, “neither in Spain nor in the EU,” writes Sánchez on

Sánchez once again takes Morocco out of the firing line. He said he did not receive any documents that “provided solid evidence that Morocco planned or caused the incident.”

The hope that the publication could calm the situation was not fulfilled. The right-wing Partido Popular (PP) and the right-wing extremist Vox also see themselves confirmed by the documents. “The government knew about everything,” explains PP spokeswoman Ester Muñoz. She once again accuses Sánchez of “inaction” and sees him as responsible. Sánchez would protect Morocco because the secret services there had information from wiretapping operations at his fingertips, is another accusation that cannot be substantiated.

Vox goes one step further. “The declassified reports only confirm what we already knew: that the CNI did its duty and warned the government, and that this government and Sánchez lied again,” explains Pepa Millán, Vox spokesperson in parliament. She therefore accuses Sánchez of an “act of betrayal”. The head of government must be held accountable in court.