Following last week's mass border crossing from Morocco into the Spanish enclave, authorities are grappling with a humanitarian crisis. The death toll is rising, and Madrid and Rabat are trading accusations.
Hundreds of migrants set up camp on El Trampolin beach in the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta on Monday, August 3, 2026, as local authorities struggle with the thousands of people still in the small territory following last Thursday's mass border crossing. According to the EFE news agency, more than 1,500 migrants from Morocco have received medical assistance since the crisis began. Many migrants said they left because shop closures left them without food, they encountered hostility from local residents, and they were unable to travel further to the Spanish mainland.
According to data from Spain's National Institute for Health Management, doctors provided medical care for more than 460 injured individuals on Sunday alone, and 172 migrants were admitted to emergency departments. Spain estimates that around 69,500 migrants have returned to Morocco over the past four days, surpassing initial estimates of about 50,000 arrivals on Thursday.
Ceuta's leader, Juan Jesus Vivas, told the Telecinco television station that between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants remain in the enclave, adding that two reception centers-one for adults and one for minors-have "collapsed." Local official Alberto Gaitan stated that the city is processing 862 unaccompanied migrant minors, who have special legal protection from deportation. The official death toll on the Spanish side of the border stands at 72, while 11 deaths have been recorded on the Moroccan side.
The crisis has sparked diplomatic tensions. Ceuta and Melilla, Spanish enclaves on Morocco's Mediterranean coast, periodically face attempts by migrants to cross into Europe. Vivas was sharply critical of Rabat, telling the newspaper El Pais that there is a widespread perception within Ceuta that Morocco allowed, if not orchestrated, the crisis. "Morocco has shown us that it is not reliable. There is no alternative but to take all necessary measures to ensure this does not happen again," Vivas said.
On the other hand, Morocco's Interior Ministry, in a statement on Sunday, blamed misinformation on social media, human trafficking networks, and misinterpretation of a court ruling for the surge in migration. They emphasized that Morocco is "committed to strengthening international cooperation and coordination in the fight against irregular migration and human trafficking." According to reports from El Pais and the Cadena SER radio station, citing informed officials, Spanish intelligence services have concluded that Morocco did not plan the mass crossing but allowed it.
Spain's Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares, on Monday sharply criticized the Italian government, accusing it of helping spread misinformation. At the same time, he said Morocco immediately offered police support without conditions, which facilitated the swift return of most of those who crossed the border. The European Union has called an emergency videoconference meeting of interior ministers for Tuesday to discuss the crisis.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said on Sunday that Spain's intelligence agency CNI, which is under the control of the Defense Ministry, did not warn him of the impending migrant wave. El Pais reported on Monday that this has caused tensions between the two ministries, although a spokesman for the Interior Ministry downplayed the significance of those reports. Defense Minister Margarita Robles declined to say whether the CNI had prior intelligence about the mass crossing, citing the secrecy of its work, and praised the "exceptional" work of Spain's security forces.
