Spain threatens retaliation if Italy fails to lift border controls over Ceuta

It remains unclear exactly why tens of thousands of migrants attempted to cross into Ceuta, but the EU’s Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner has suggested criminal networks spreading disinformation were to blame – an assertion the Spanish government has agreed with.

The crossings came after Spain’s Supreme Court ruled that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.

The two exclaves have long been a bone of diplomatic contention between Spain and Morocco, which does not recognise Spanish sovereignty over them.

The number of people swimming to Ceuta at once has raised questions about why Morocco’s border guards did not attempt to stop them

The Ceuta crossings have also caused a diplomatic rift among EU nations that share open borders as part of the Schengen area.

Italy’s decision to suspend its agreement was backed by Finland and Denmark, while the Czech Republic called for Spain’s membership to be temporarily suspended.

Morocco, for its part, has laid blame for the crisis on Spain’s Supreme Court, with an unnamed government source briefing local outlets that “the deterrent element of the system collapsed and the dam gave way, not under the weight of the criminals, but of a judge’s decision”.

Meanwhile, Moroccan media is reporting fresh online calls to co-ordinate another mass border-crossing attempt, similar to what was seen before the influx last week.

Nearly 1,400 minors, some of them “very young boys and girls”, still remain in Ceuta following last week’s crossings, Spanish Youth Minister Sira Rego said on Friday.

She added: “There was a situation in which the system was overwhelmed, but it is now being brought under control. It is true that there are many boys and girls, and the procedure takes time.

“We wanted to make clear that we have prioritized the most vulnerable cases.”