Aznar urges military deployment in Ceuta and slams Sánchez's handling of the crisis
Former prime minister José María Aznar called for the militarisation of Ceuta to address the migration surge and criticised Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez as incompetent and cowardly.
José María Aznar, the former head of Spain’s government, advocated for a military response in Ceuta, saying the constitution obliges the armed forces to defend national territory. He condemned one outlet administration under Pedro Sánchez as cowardly, incompetent and treasonous for its perceived inaction on the migration influx. Aznar questioned Sánchez’s shift on Western Sahara, demanded clarification on Spain’s strategic ties with Morocco, and called for a comprehensive review of EU-Morocco relations.
While accusing the interior minister of lacking responsibility, he ruled out supporting a parliamentary censure motion, preferring direct political discourse. Aznor also criticised the timing of King Felipe VI’s planned visit to Ceuta, arguing it should have occurred earlier.
Why it matters
Aznar’s hard-line stance could influence public debate and policy on Spain’s border security and relations with Morocco.
How this story developed
- Aug 21 Spanish police detain five suspected migrant smugglers operating from Ceuta
- Sep 9 The EU approved a financial package for Ceuta border controls and pledged additional Frontex support.
- Sep 9 The interior ministry publicly acknowledged creating the dossier.
- Sep 10 Government criticized for declassifying security alerts and for claiming the warning was only a low‑level WhatsApp message.
- Sep 10 Judge María Tardón filed a request for copies of the declassified intelligence reports.
- Sep 10 Regional economy minister asserted that the national government possessed advance intelligence on the Ceuta crossing and did not implement preventive measures.
- Sep 11 Czech and Hungarian leaders condemned the EU’s emergency aid for Ceuta.
- Sep 11 Gonzalo Sanz, chief of staff to the Government delegate in Ceuta, stepped down after receiving CNI alerts about a massive migrant arrival.
- Sep 12 A police‑commissioned report described Moroccan border police as unusually sparse and granting migrants “total permission.”
- Sep 13 Minister Sira Rego urged autonomous communities to assume responsibility for Ceuta’s unaccompanied minors.
- Sep 13 The foreign minister announced an urgent trip to Brussels for talks with EU officials.
- Sep 16 After intense negotiations, the European Parliament approved a resolution introduced by the Partido Popular that calls on Morocco, as a key EU partner, to fulfill its border-management and migration-return obligations. The text labels the Ceuta event as an invasion and condemns Morocco's demands over the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla as unacceptable. Conservative groups supported the measure, while the PSOE-led socialist bloc opposed it.
- Sep 17 The European Parliament adopted the revised Ceuta resolution after intense negotiations.
- Sep 18 The government and defence ministry secured an unprecedented public clarification from the CNI regarding the pre‑surge intelligence alert.
In this story
Related stories
61 in this thread