King Muhammad of Morocco weaponises migration
He wants Spain to accept Morocco’s occupation of Western Sahara
THEY CAME in their hundreds, swimming around the border fence that protects the Spanish city of Ceuta, or walking across the beach at low tide under the permissive eyes of Moroccan border guards, who would normally stop them. In 36 hours this week, 8,000 would-be migrants descended on Ceuta, an enclave of 85,000 people (see map). For the Spanish authorities, coping with this influx was an immediate humanitarian headache. And Morocco’s weaponisation of migration also puts the government of Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s prime minister, in a longer-term bind.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Testing the floodgates”
Middle East & Africa May 22nd 2021
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- King Muhammad of Morocco weaponises migration
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