Morocco denies involvement in deadly Ceuta migrant crossing

Morocco's foreign ministry said on Thursday that no facts or reports prove any involvement by Moroccan authorities in the mass crossing of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, marking the kingdom's first official response to a Spanish police report that accused its security forces of total permissiveness during the incident. More than 70,000 migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco on July 30 and 31 in an unprecedented and chaotic surge that left scores dead, according to official accounts, though non-governmental organisations have reported more than 100 deaths. The crossing triggered a political storm in Spain, where opposition parties have accused Rabat of facilitating or orchestrating the event and have targeted Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's relationship with Morocco. In its statement, the ministry asked why accusations continued to be levelled against Morocco when no evidence established its involvement, and questioned Spain's handling of the aftermath.