Discrepancies in Death Toll of Ceuta Migrant Crisis: Morocco Records 11, Spain Reports 72
The Moroccan Ministry of the Interior has released its first official death toll regarding the mass crossing incident into Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in North Africa. The Moroccan government recorded 11 deaths, a figure far lower than reports from Spanish authorities, which claim at least 72 people have died.
Rachid El Khalfi, spokesperson for the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior, detailed the causes of death, stating that of the 11 deceased, 10 drowned while the eleventh died after falling from a rocky area. He added that the Moroccan government is currently working with Spain to verify the discrepancy in death figures and to identify bodies found within Spanish territory.
Conversely, the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) estimates the number of victims is much higher, suggesting there are ‘nearly 130 victims’ with dozens more still reported missing. The public prosecutor’s office has since opened an official investigation into the incident.
The crisis was triggered by a wave of tens of thousands of prospective migrants attempting to cross into Ceuta. Spanish authorities recorded over 60,000 individuals entering Ceuta in recent days, although most have since returned to Morocco. Meanwhile, the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior noted approximately 40,000 illegal crossing attempts towards Ceuta, alongside 1,135 individuals attempting to enter Melilla, another Spanish enclave, who were promptly returned to Moroccan territory.
This mass surge has sparked diplomatic friction within the European Union, with several member states criticising Spanish migration policies. The Moroccan Ministry of the Interior attributed the sudden surge to the ‘malicious exploitation of social media and the spread of misleading information.’
Beyond social media influence, Morocco also highlighted ‘misinterpretations of legal provisions,’ referring to a Spanish Supreme Court ruling on 8 July, which stated that migrants arriving via sea routes should not be subject to the same immediate return procedures as those arriving via other routes.