Moroccan Warships Breached Ceuta's Waters in July, Sánchez Admits 74 Days Later
October 14, 2026 · Frisian News
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has confirmed that at least one Moroccan frigate and several patrol boats entered Spanish sovereign waters off Ceuta without authorization during the July 30 and 31 migrant crossing. He made the admission 74 days after the incursions began, despite his government releasing 40 declassified intelligence reports in September that made no mention of them.
At least one frigate and several patrol boats from the Royal Moroccan Navy entered Spanish sovereign waters off Ceuta without authorization on July 30 and 31, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez admitted on October 12. He made the admission 74 days after the incursions began, in an informal conversation with journalists at the Royal Palace reception for Spain's national day.
The disclosure came the same morning El País first reported it, citing sources familiar with the case who described the intrusions as "not merely a transit passage or an accidental entry, but an intentional and repeated violation of Spanish territorial waters." According to El País, the warships continued operating in Spanish waters into early August and nearly caused a collision with Spanish naval vessels.
Spain eventually deployed three ships to the area. The maritime action vessel Rayo reached Ceuta on August 3, followed by the frigates Santa María and Navarra. Brussels Signal reported that the Moroccan maneuvers stopped only after that naval deployment and high-level contacts by the Defence Ministry. A Defence Staff official told El Español, according to Brussels Signal, that the Moroccan ships had been sailing under orders.
The admission sits uneasily with Sánchez's earlier account. On September 3 he told the Congress of Deputies that nobody had given the government proof the Moroccan authorities designed or carried out the mass entry, which saw more than 72,000 migrants cross into Ceuta, according to The Olive Press. He promised to publish every report on the crisis. On September 8 the cabinet approved the declassification of 40 intelligence reports, according to Brussels Signal. None of those 40 reports mentioned the naval incursions, Brussels Signal reported, citing El Español. Sources at CIFAS and DSN told El Español the omission was deliberate.
Sánchez sought to limit the damage. He told reporters: "We are geographical neighbours and these kinds of incidents happen. It did happen, but it was resolved through dialogue at the highest level." Speaking to state broadcaster TVE, as quoted by Business Insider Africa, he added: "We must acknowledge that, between two neighbouring countries, such isolated incidents do occur."
Madrid mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida, of the opposition Partido Popular, called the warship presence more serious than the entry of 80,000 people, Brussels Signal reported. He questioned whether anyone believed either could have happened without the knowledge and consent of the Moroccan authorities. In September the European Parliament adopted a resolution holding Morocco responsible for the invasion and describing it as hybrid warfare against a member state at the EU's only land border with Africa, Brussels Signal noted. The European Commission has continued to call Rabat a strategic partner on migration.
Morocco's position is unequivocal. King Mohammed VI, speaking at the opening of the legislative year at parliament as reported by Morocco World News, said that cooperation on migration is "a sovereign choice and a voluntary commitment" that "will never be subject to any pressure, threat, or blackmail." The king also acknowledged in the same speech, as Morocco World News reported, that "the current model of cooperation has reached its limits."
Sánchez called a snap election after the right-wing opposition voted down his flagship housing reforms, according to The Olive Press. Voters go to the polls on November 29. None of the 40 declassified reports mentioned them.
Published October 14, 2026 · Frisian News