Moroccan

RABAT: Moroccan media have criticized a Spanish police report that accused Morocco’s security forces of failures as tens of thousands of migrants crossed into the Spanish territory of Ceuta.

More than 70,000 migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco on July 30 and 31 in an unprecedented, chaotic surge that left scores dead and sparked European Union infighting over the touchy issue of migration.

The Spanish police report seen by AFP flagged a Moroccan police response of “total permissiveness” that it said facilitated the rush, with some officers directing migrants toward the water.

Moroccan police numbers around the border post were “clearly smaller than usual” and officers “made no serious attempt” to stem the surge, said the report.

But Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has consistently avoided blaming Morocco, noting that there was no “solid proof” that the North African country orchestrated the migrant rush.

Sanchez’s leftist government has tried for years to improve the countries’ historically delicate relations — notably over the status of Ceuta and Spain’s other north African territory, Melilla.

Moroccan authorities have yet to comment on the leaked police report, but several Moroccan media outlets have weighed in on its allegations.

Moroccan news site Hespress on Friday called it “particularly weak,” saying it lacked material evidence and contained “glaring contradictions.”

Hespress said the police report sought to make Morocco “the scapegoat” in Spanish political and judicial disputes.

Moroccan news site Le Desk on Thursday described the report as “botched,” pointing to factual errors including a reference to June 30 instead of July 30.

And TelQuel said that claims by some media that the report directly accused Morocco of “planning and executing” the influx were false, adding that the allegations did not name any Moroccan official as responsible.

News site Medias24 challenged the “permissiveness” claim by arguing that it was based solely on one satellite image that was “obviously just a snapshot.”

Last month, a senior Moroccan official told AFP on condition of anonymity there had been no Moroccan security failures during the influx.

Aug. 15 (UPI) — Dozens of migrants were detained in Morocco on Saturday as they attempted to cross into the Spanish territory of Ceuta.

Moroccan officials said they intercepted some 111 people near the town of Fnideq, about 2 miles from the border, BBC reported.

Local police chartered buses to return them to other parts of the country, El Pais reported.

The attempted crossings come weeks after more than 60,000 people crossed the border into Ceuta, overwhelming the small territory.

At least 57 people died during the mass crossing.

Migrants were trying to enter Ceuta after the Spanish Supreme Court ruled that Spain cannot send home migrants inside their territory.

Earlier this week, Spain’s Civil Guard reported the possibility of another attempt by migrants to cross into the North African exclave.

Civil Guard officials said messages began circulating on social media sharing calls for another mass crossing on Aug. 15, Euro News reported.