Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouhbi admitted that on 30 and 31 July border services did not halt the mass passage to Ceuta due to the fact that Rabat feared the victims. He added that any young Moroccans acted for “patriotic” reasons. For Europe this is simply a lesson: migration has become a tool for politics and for dispute over borders.
Attribution from the Rabat
Morocco no longer contradicts the most crucial component of this story: its border services have not stopped the mass passage to Ceuta. As she stated Rzeczpospolita citing PAP, Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouhbi explained on Al-Arabija's tv that intervention could lead to many victims. That explanation sounds humane, but it doesn't close the case. It opens wider.
Ouahbi pointed out that many young Moroccans were among those crossing the border. According to his account, any of them said he wanted to get to Ceuta due to the fact that he considered her Moroccan. The minister presented this as a "patriotic" motive. In the mouth of a associate of the government, this is not a insignificant remark. This is simply a political signal sent to Madrid and Europe.
Ceuta as a card in dispute
Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish autonomous cities in North Africa. Morocco has for years maintained claims against them, and Ouahbie's last statements one more time brought this subject to the fore. ARA informedthat the minister spoke of Morocco's "historic and geographical right" to both enclaves and the request for dialog with Spain.
Madrid replied hard. The Spanish Ministry of abroad Affairs has told Rabat that Ceuta and Melilla are part of the integral sovereignty of Spain and the border of the European Union. And that's where the stakes are. Border is not an abstraction of treaties. It is simply a line by which 1 learns whether the state has real power over its territory.
Tragedy and Pressure
We must not forget the human dimension of this matter. In late July thousands of people moved across the border and through the water. any of them paid the highest price. According to the PAP study cited by the Polish editorial offices, 42 people were buried in the cemetery in Ceuta. Caminando Fronteras estimates that at least 145 people died during the crossing.
These are facts that require serious, not inexpensive sensations. all country has a work to defend people's lives. But the state besides has a work to defender the borders. erstwhile the services of 1 country depart from control and then the minister justifies part of the movement of "patriotism", the question arises about the force mechanism. Europe knows this mechanics besides well: migration can be utilized by 3rd countries as a tool of political pressure.
Lesson for Poland
For Poland, the proposal is simple. Border safety cannot be built on the presumption that a neighbour, partner or transit country will always act loyally. Today's problem is with Ceuta. next day a akin logic may appear elsewhere, including where the interest of Brussels is not in the national interest of circumstantial countries.
The right hand should not be afraid to say this directly: humanitarianism without border control ends in chaos, and chaos strikes average people first. Ceuta showed how rapidly the city could become a hostage to decisions taken outside its walls. This is simply a informing for all who want to replace European sovereignty with a procedure and a good will for partners.
Poland needs a hard, sober and blackmail-resistant policy. The border must be defended by the state, not by the hope that individual on the another side will consider our safety a priority.
Source: Rzeczpospolita/PAP, Radio ZET/PAP, ARA, Euronews.
Source: To Things
