Arabic version: وثائق إسبانية تكشف تحذيرات من أزمة حدود سبتة
According to Allafrica, Spain declassified more than 40 documents showing that its national intelligence agency warned of possible mass migrant entries into Ceuta a day before more than 70,000 people rushed the enclave’s border fences. The files released on Wednesday include internal alerts, intelligence reports, charts and communications from law-enforcement and intelligence agencies.
An urgent memo from the National Intelligence Center, sent to Ceuta authorities the day before the incident, warned of “several calls to carry out entries into Ceuta.” The memo said two separate groups had a combined 180,000 followers. CENIF, a border division of the National Police, also warned that internal communications in migrant groups were seeking to organize mass entries on the night of July 29, 2026.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the documents showed his government had not been warned about the scale of the crisis. He said the intelligence center had alerted authorities in Ceuta, but not the military or the Ministry of Defense. Sanchez said that, based on the information available at the time, no one in Spain or the European Union could have foreseen the crisis that unfolded on July 30 and 31.
The European Union announced €115 million in emergency aid for Spain to reinforce the bloc’s external borders and support returns from Ceuta. Brussels said the money would fund border surveillance, protection and security infrastructure, including thermal cameras, floating buoy systems and underwater drones. It will also support migrant-screening facilities and the return of people who remain illegally in Ceuta. Spain requested the funding on August 24.
More than 72,000 people crossed from Morocco into Spanish territory during the July 30-31 events, while scores died attempting to reach EU territory, most by drowning. Most of those who crossed have been returned, but thousands remain, including many unaccompanied minors. Madrid’s top criminal court opened an investigation on Monday into whether African authorities facilitated the rush.
