The president of Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta has accused Morocco of responsibility for what he described as an "atrocity" after a mass border crossing that left more than 90 people dead.
Spanish officials said on Monday that an estimated 69,500 people who had arrived late last week in Ceuta, a tiny Spanish territory, had returned to Morocco in recent days. Around 2,500 people who had made the crossing were believed to still be in Ceuta.
Overwhelmed City and Political Crisis
The extraordinary influx had overwhelmed the city of 84,000 people and set off a political crisis across the European Union as some member states laid blame on Spain.
Ceuta leader, Juan Jesús Vivas, who is the long-serving conservative leader of the territory, said: "It’s an atrocity. There are 88 bodies in the morgue, and there are more on the other side of the border."
He said local people watched the events play out with a mix of sadness, worry and anguish. "People see this not as a migration crisis; it was fundamentally an attack, a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity," Vivas told El País newspaper. "People felt that this, if not orchestrated, was at least encouraged or permitted by Morocco."
Spain's Defence Minister Calls for Investigation
Speaking on Monday, Spain’s defence minister, Margarita Robles, also seemingly signalled Rabat’s involvement. "Neither Spain nor Morocco can look the other way when it comes to this tragedy," she told reporters. "I ask the Moroccan government to fully investigate what happened."
The incident has strained relations between Spain and Morocco, with Spain demanding a full explanation and Morocco yet to comment publicly on the allegations.
