Zineb Riboua@zriboua
Full English translation of the official statement by Rachid Khalfi, spokesperson for Morocco’s Ministry of the Interior, on the recent events at the crossing points leading to Ceuta and Melilla:
"In the wake of the events that recently took place at the crossing points leading to the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, the Ministry of the Interior confirms that the various data collected and analyzed have shown that these events were not the result of circumstantial or spontaneous factors. Rather, they resulted from the interaction of several interlocking factors, foremost among them the malicious exploitation of the digital space, the dissemination of misleading information, the role of human trafficking networks, and erroneous interpretations of legal and administrative data. These aimed to create the illusion of the possibility of easy access to the European space without legal consequences.
Aware of the nature of these developments and their indicators, the public authorities, from the earliest stages, activated a proactive and comprehensive approach. This was based on the early monitoring of various indicators, raising the levels of vigilance and mobilization, enhancing the readiness of the various security services and territorial authorities, and intensifying land and sea surveillance. This enabled control of the course of events, the protection of lives, the preservation of public order, and the securing of the borders, while strictly adhering to the provisions of the law and respecting the principle of proportionality in intervention.
The precise statistical data available to the competent authorities, based on the monitoring and field tracking systems adopted at the points of departure of those participating in these irregular crossing attempts, made it possible to determine the actual number of those involved. This amounted to approximately 40,000 people heading toward the city of Ceuta and about 1,135 people heading toward the city of Melilla.
All the people who managed to reach Melilla were returned immediately.
This tally is based on precise statistical and field data obtained through approved technical mechanisms for monitoring and tracking, making it the authoritative reference, in contrast to some circulating figures that are not based on reliable data or objective foundations.
In this context, the recent decisions issued by the Spanish judicial authorities regarding the restriction of the possibility of applying the procedure of immediate return to certain irregular migrants intercepted at sea stood out in particular. These decisions, accompanied by erroneous interpretations and misleading circulation, led to the reinforcement of a conviction among some aspiring crossers of the possibility of avoiding immediate return. This contributed to the emergence of a single pattern of irregular migration attempts, consisting of crossing by swimming, as the means that some believed offered greater chances of escaping immediate return.
These events have so far resulted in the recording of one accidental death following a fall from a rocky area adjacent to the city of Ceuta, in addition to 10 deaths by drowning. This reality reveals that the short distance separating the two sides—less than seventy meters—and the relative shallowness of the depth, which in some points does not exceed a little more than two meters, generated among a number of participants a misleading sense of the ease of crossing. This led them to underestimate the scale of the risks and to undertake attempts that ended, in some cases, with tragic consequences.
As for what is being circulated regarding the recording of other deaths in the city of Ceuta, the Moroccan authorities continue, within the framework of official channels of cooperation and coordination with their Spanish counterparts, to verify the accuracy of these data, as well as the actual number of the persons concerned, their identities, and their nationalities, with a view to completing the required legal, administrative, and humanitarian procedures.
It should also be noted that the competent Public Prosecutor’s Office has, within the framework of its legal powers, opened judicial investigations into the various acts and facts related to these events, with the aim of determining all the circumstances, uncovering responsibilities, and applying the legal consequences in accordance with the provisions of the law.
While renewing its affirmation that the management of the migration phenomenon can only take place within the framework of a comprehensive approach based on shared responsibility, effective solidarity, and burden-sharing, the Ministry of the Interior stresses that the Kingdom of Morocco will remain, as its partners have always known it, a reliable and responsible partner, committed to strengthening international cooperation and coordination in the field of combating irregular migration and human trafficking. At the same time, it will spare no effort in taking all necessary measures to protect public order, safeguard border security, and ensure the safety of persons and property, within the framework of the rule of law and respect for the Kingdom’s national and international commitments."