Did Morocco allow thousands of migrants to cross into a Spanish enclave, and if so, why?

A young migrant looks at a member of the Spanish Army's 'Regulares' infantry force near the border post, prior to escorting them back to Morocco, in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on Aug. 2, 2026. Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS /AFP via Getty Images

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Witnesses and experts have suggested to AFP that an easing of controls by Morocco in the border area of Ceuta contributed to the recent mass influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave.

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If so, what interests could Rabat have been trying to advance?

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Here is what we know:

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Did Morocco deliberately ease controls?

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According to witnesses interviewed by AFP, thousands of people who flocked to the border town of Fnideq were not stopped by blockades.

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“There were ordinary gendarmerie checkpoints on the roads, but not an exceptional deployment,” a source close to the removal operations told AFP.

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North Africa analyst Pierre Vermeren said Morocco’s police were “very effective, very organised and very well-informed”, and argued that they “could have blocked the roads” had they wanted to stop those headed for the border.

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Mohamed Benaissa, head of the Northern Observatory for Human Rights (ONDH) in Fnideq, said “we observed that the security measures had been reduced” in downtown Fnideq.

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He added that “police reinforcements only arrived on Thursday at around 7:00 pm”, after hundreds of migrants had already entered Ceuta in previous days.

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No evidence of a decision taken at the highest level of the Moroccan state has emerged.

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Members of the Spanish Army’s ‘Regulares’ infantry forces watch a group of migrants near the border post of the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on Aug. 2, 2026. Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS /AFP via Getty Images

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But Riccardo Fabiani, North Africa director at the International Crisis Group, said that “by now we have enough elements to suggest that Rabat was involved in this crisis”.

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He mentioned “testimonies from Moroccan migrants… as well as videos showing passive security forces vis-a-vis truckloads of migrants”. AFP could not verify the footage.

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Haizam Amirah Fernandez, director of the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies in Madrid, said that “knowing how the Moroccan state functions, it’s difficult to believe that the authorities… were not aware of what was happening or even facilitated such a massive movement of people”.

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On Monday, a Moroccan source close to the case denied to AFP any “relaxation” at the land border crossing. On Sunday, the interior ministry blamed the sudden surge on the “malicious exploitation” of social media and the “spread of misleading information”.

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In light of the accusations against Rabat, several observers have pointed out that the surge occurred during Throne Day celebrations, when the authorities traditionally highlight the kingdom’s stability.

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The Moroccan royal palace has not commented on the flow of migrants.

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What benefit could Rabat have seen?

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For Vermeren, it was “a warning message sent to Spain” over Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony that is considered a non-self-governing territory by the United Nations.

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Morocco has largely controlled the territory for decades, but has been in conflict with the Algerian-backed Polisario Front, which seeks independence for the Sahrawi people.