Embattled Spanish PM insists there were no prior warnings before Ceuta crisis

Fonte da imagem, Olmo Blanco/Getty Images. Legenda da imagem, Pedro Sánchez está sob considerável pressão de partidos de oposição e dezenas de milhares de espanhóis protestaram na quarta‑feira à noite.

1. Sexual assaults happening almost every day in Ceuta, prosecutors say.
2. Violence breaks out in Ceuta as migrant crisis continues.

Publicado em 3 de setembro de 2026, 09:14 BST.

Protestos na Espanha contra a forma como o governo lida com a crise migratória em Ceuta Publicado há 21 horas.

O Primeiro‑Ministro espanhol Pedro Sánchez disse que ninguém previa o influxo de 72. 000 migrantes no exclave de Ceuta, enquanto a pressão aumenta sobre sua gestão da crise.

It's absurd to think that the government knew and did nothing," Sánchez told Spain's parliament on Thursday, hours after tens of thousands of people joined protests across the country backed by opposition parties.

Sánchez also maintained there was no evidence Morocco was behind the mass crossing and there had been "close co-ordination" between the two countries.

A Spanish police report has highlighted the "total permissiveness" of Moroccan security forces, although senior officials insist it does not point the finger at Rabat.

Embora a maioria dos migrantes tenha sido enviada de volta ao Marrocos, cerca de 5. 000 permanecem nas ruas e praias de Ceuta, na costa norte-africana, incluindo até 1.

Diversos relatos indicam que autoridades espanholas foram alertadas sobre um aumento nas chegadas marítimas na fronteira de Ceuta, após uma decisão judicial espanhola que muitos migrantes interpretaram erroneamente como garantia de que não seriam devolvidos caso atravessassem a água.

Opposition People's Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo accused the government of lying and a cover-up, and said the prime minister should resign.

Spain's handling of the migrant influx angered some of its European partners, and Italy responded by imposing border restrictions on arrivals from Spain.

The large turnout for the demonstrations in Madrid and other cities on Wednesday underlined the pressure Sánchez is under domestically too.

Os protestos foram ostensivamente realizados para expressar apoio ao povo de Ceuta, mas, como os frequentes cânticos anti-governo têm mostrado, também refletiram a raiva pública diante da crise em curso.

Image source, ReutersImage caption, Spaniards took to the streets in a number of cities to mark Ceuta Day.

As Thursday's fierce debate in Congress showed, the situation in Ceuta has developed from a humanitarian and logistical crisis into a major political challenge for the Socialist leader.

Uma das questões que Sánchez tem que explicar é a relação bilateral do seu governo com o Marrocos.

He has tried to walk a delicate line between defending his refusal to blame Morocco while reprimanding it for the sovereignty claims it has been making in recent weeks on both Ceuta and its fellow Spanish exclave of Melilla.

Sánchez has been careful until now not to criticise Rabat and he said he would stick to "proven, verified facts", although he did complain of "unacceptable" statements by two Moroccan ministers about Ceuta and its sister city Melilla.

O Ministro da Justiça do Marrocos, Abdellatif Ouahbi, falou sobre o “direito histórico e geográfico” de seu país às cidades e propôs conversas com a Espanha sobre a questão.

The two cities have the EU's only land borders in North Africa and Sánchez told parliament: "Ceuta is not the border of Spain, it is Spain on the border [of Europe].

Políticos de ambos os lados apontam o que dizem ser o histórico do Marrocos de usar a fronteira com a Espanha como alavanca quando tem uma reclamação.

Many have interpreted the police report pointing to the role of Moroccan security forces in the July crossing as reinforcing this theory, although Sánchez maintained there was no solid evidence of government involvement.

The report, commissioned by a High Court judge, said security forces had "made no serious attempt" to stop the influx and quoted some migrants saying Moroccan gendarmes had even provided guidance.

Respondendo às revelações, bem como aos relatos da mídia antes do influxo, Feijóo disse aos deputados que a crise 'originou-se no Marrocos, foi consentida pelo Marrocos e há indicações de que o Marrocos a coordenou e o governo sabia porque havia sido avisado sobre isso.

Morocco has denied orchestrating or being involved in the mass crossing.

Sánchez said King Felipe VI would visit Ceuta and Melilla in the coming weeks to convey Spain's commitment to the two cities, although officials say no date has been set.

Ele elogiu a resposta da polícia de Ceuta, que optou por “defender a vida humana” quando o influxo ocorreu, em vez de defender a fronteira. Ele também destacou a estreita cooperação com as autoridades marroquinas na devolução de mais de 90 % dos migrantes nas 72 horas seguintes.

He addressed the "difficult times" faced by the residents of Ceuta, as he explained the "complexity" of what had happened on 30 and 31 July.

He spoke of an "episode in which numerous actors and interests converge", doubling down on his assertion that hoaxes and rumours spread by social media had sparked the crisis.

He has already blamed trafficking gangs and angered Russia and Israel for highlighting social media linked to both countries along with "an international far-right movement.

He told MPs that there was no evidence of state actors being involved but doubled down on his allegations of accounts linked to the two countries.

Ceuta foi "uma crise humanitária e também um desafio administrativo dentro da própria cidade", ele acrescentou.