Sanchez faces heat as Ceuta border crisis death toll rises to 141

Madrid,UPDATED: Sep 3, 2026 21:40 IST

Spain Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez came under pressure in Parliament on Thursday, a day after tens of thousands of people protested against his government's handling of the Ceuta border crisis. Lawmakers pressed him on how the deadly mass crossing took place in late July, what role Morocco may have played, and why key details about the incident are still unclear five weeks on.

Sanchez said his government would release key reports on the border breach, though he did not say when or what they would contain. He also raised the official death toll to 141 from the most recent estimate of 96 given by authorities in Ceuta and Morocco's Human Rights Council, but his office and the interior ministry could not explain how the new figure had been calculated.

The crisis has deepened scrutiny of Sanchez as Ceuta continues to deal with a prolonged humanitarian situation after thousands of migrants crossed into the Spanish territory in North Africa. Residents of the small enclave have expressed anger at the scale of the influx, while senior government officials have at times given conflicting accounts of what happened.

Last week, the defence ministry said Spain's intelligence agency had given prior warning of the rush at the border, while the interior ministry and others said it had not. On Wednesday, people across Spain joined protests in support of Ceuta, demanding solutions to the city's tensions and calling on Sanchez to step down. The issue is emerging as one of the most serious challenges faced by his government, and lawmakers also called for early elections.

"The people of Ceuta have been without normality, without security and without answers for over a month. And we Spaniards are at the same time perplexed and outraged in the face of the violation of our territorial integrity," opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo of the centre-right Popular Party said.

"Why are you afraid of Morocco?" Feijoo asked.

Most of the migrants who crossed into Ceuta on July 30 and 31 later returned to neighbouring Morocco or were sent back within days. But the national government says around 5,000 people, including 1,200 minors, are still in the city weeks later. Ceuta's local government has put the number higher, at about 9,000.

Sanchez, who is due to face an election next year, said a misreading of a Supreme Court ruling and disinformation on social media had encouraged people to rush the border. He also accused social media accounts linked to Russia and Israel, as well as right-wing groups, of exploiting and amplifying the Ceuta crisis after it happened. Israel and Russia have denied the claim.

On Morocco's role, Sanchez said there was no evidence that the Moroccan government had planned or carried out the mass crossing. "I can assure you that no institution -- neither the diplomatic service, nor the European Commission, nor any international body -- has provided the Spanish government with solid evidence that Morocco planned or carried out the incident. None," he said.

Spanish media had earlier reported that a police report pointed to the alleged permissiveness of Moroccan security forces during the incident, though Spanish officials denied that the document blamed the Moroccan government. Sanchez said that for a 10-hour period on July 30, when arrivals peaked, Morocco's Gendarmerie police "allowed the border to be crossed" in Ceuta, but he said the same force later regained control.

As questions grew across Spain's political spectrum over Rabat's possible role, Sanchez said he would wait for solid evidence before taking further steps. "For the record, if such solid evidence existed, we would act accordingly with absolute decisiveness, as the situation demands," he said.

Morocco's Foreign Ministry did not respond to questions on Spain summoning the Moroccan ambassador to Madrid or on the reported Spanish police document. Sanchez also criticised remarks by two Moroccan ministers questioning Spain's sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla, its other North African territory, and said Madrid had summoned the ambassador over those comments. Ceuta and Melilla are the European Union's only land borders with Africa.

Feijoo accused the government of lying and again demanded Sanchez's resignation. Referring to the reported police document, he said: "The operation originated in Morocco, was sanctioned by Morocco, and there are indications that Morocco coordinated it and that the government was aware of it, having been warned." The debate underlined the pressure on Sanchez as questions remain over the border breach, the death toll and Morocco's role in the Ceuta crisis.

With PTI Inputs

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