Trump-aligned Morocco dials up political heat on Spain’s Sánchez

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez faced rising tensions with Morocco after more than 70,000 migrants arrived in Ceuta, an exclave in North Africa, this summer. During a religious ceremony in Rabat, Morocco's Minister of Islamic Affairs, Ahmed Toufiq, referenced a 15th-century imam to symbolize the liberation of the occupied cities.

This reference threatened Spain's autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, home to 170,000 mainly Spanish citizens. Toufiq's claims were seen as part of a worrying pattern of increasingly assertive behavior from Rabat. Spain's foreign ministry was forced to respond to Morocco's Justice Minister, Abdellatif Ouahbi, who called for discussions on the future of the cities, citing Morocco's "right" to them.

Prime Minister Sánchez, facing a general election and corruption scandals in his party, sought to avoid a diplomatic clash with Morocco, a vital partner in trade, migration, and fighting drug trafficking. However, his diplomatic tone with Rabat was met with criticism from other Spanish parties. The right-wing People's Party (PP) and far-right Vox accused Sánchez of behaving like a "subject of Morocco," while the far-left Podemos and Sumar, the junior partner in Sánchez's government, demanded Morocco's status as co-host of the 2030 World Cup be withdrawn due to its alleged role in the Ceuta crisis.

The United Left (IU) party leader, Antonio Maíllo, warned of a "United States-Israel-Morocco alliance" aiming to destabilize the Spanish government. Morocco denies any such intentions and blames the migrant surge on online disinformation. The Spanish government's willingness to accommodate Morocco is seen as backfiring, as it confuses concessions with weakness.