Morocco

Pedro Sánchez continues to defend Rabat after police report claiming border forces helped 70,000 cross borderEurope live – latest updatesSpain has seen no evidence “whatsoever” that Morocco planned or facilitated a mass border breach into its north African territory of Ceuta, the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has told parliament.The address on Thursday followed the emergence of a police report, commissioned by a judge and widely quoted in the media, claiming Moroccan border forces had actively aided about 70,000 people to cross the border in late July. Continue reading...

• The Spanish government is facing a political crisis following a leaked report alleging that Moroccan forces actively assisted migrants in crossing the border into Ceuta. • Madrid has officially denied claims that it ignored prior warnings regarding an imminent breach of the border. • This incident has created significant internal disarray and tension between Spain and Morocco over border security and migrant management.

Pedro Sánchez says two countries are cooperating after mass incursion by 70,000 people into north African enclave Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has insisted there was no evidence to suggest the Moroccan government was behind last month’s massive border crossing into Ceuta.As many as 141 people are thought to have died trying to enter the Spanish enclave at the end of July. The influx of about 70,000 men, women and children unleashed a political crisis, a humanitarian emergency and reignited tensions over immigration within the EU. Continue reading...

• Morocco and the United Arab Emirates are evolving their long-standing bilateral relations into a strategic geoeconomic alliance focused on trade, investment, and connectivity. • The partnership has strengthened significantly since the Arab Revolts of the early 2010s as both nations converged on their assessments of regional threats and international developments. • This alliance is designed to provide stability and resilience against a backdrop of accelerating regional shocks, compounding crises, and heightened global uncertainty.

• The New York City Bar Association has intervened in response to a lawyers' strike in Morocco, citing concerns over judicial independence and professional autonomy. • While foreign bar associations lack legal jurisdiction over Moroccan law, this action serves as a gesture of professional solidarity and international rule-of-law advocacy. • The intervention highlights the danger of normalizing state interference with legal professionals, which the organization argues could threaten the administration of justice globally.

Washington-Rabat ties under scrutiny as questions swirl over what led to deadly influx into tiny Spanish territoryThe cosy relationship between Washington and Rabat has long been flaunted by both sides, from Morocco’s announcement this year that it would be the first African state to join Donald Trump’s Board of Peace to the congratulatory message recently sent by Trump to mark King Mohammed VI’s 27 years in power.The latest example landed this week. As Spain grappled with the aftermath of the sudden influx – and swift return – of more than 70,000 people into Ceuta, Morocco’s monarch confirmed he had named a $1bn highway flanking the disputed territory of Western Sahara after Trump. Continue reading...

People hope to see friends or relatives among those still returning as death toll from mass crossing nears 100Hundreds of people have gathered in the northern Moroccan town of Fnideq, near the border with Spain’s Ceuta, flashing photos of their missing loved ones to passersby in the hope of tracking them down.Their perch was the same small tranche of land that made headlines around the world last week as extraordinary scenes emerged of about 72,000 people making their way into Ceuta, a tiny Spanish territory in north Africa. Continue reading...