One month after the invasion of Ceuta by hundreds of thousands of Moroccan migrants, the pieces of that human tragedy are gradually falling into place, and the initial tangle of contradictions is also beginning to take shape. At this point, one thing is clear: Morocco, a country that exercises control over even the smallest details of its subjects’ lives, bears primary responsibility. There are no shades of gray on this point.
What may differ, however, are the reasons behind this act of blackmail. There may be several dimensions to the explanation, with a series of events related to Western Sahara perhaps carrying greater weight than others. These include the Spanish nationality law for Sahrawis and the reception of Sahrawi minors in the Spanish Congress of Deputies by its Socialist president, Francina Armengol.
Nevertheless, there is one factor that may offer a particularly striking interpretation and that has largely been overlooked when analyzing the Moroccan regime’s provocation against Spain. Let us put things into context.
For several months, every Spanish television news bulletin opened with a bombshell story: former Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was reportedly under investigation in connection with a series of alleged corruption cases, ranging from influence peddling to money laundering. The information made headlines, including in the international press and, naturally, in the Moroccan media.
Zapatero, as is well known, is a major—if not the most prominent—lobbyist for the Alaouite regime. The former Socialist leader has openly boasted about this role on numerous occasions, becoming a staunch defender of Morocco’s alleged sovereignty over Western Sahara. He even sponsored an organization that, according to Spain’s National Intelligence Centre (CNI), operates as a front for the Moroccan intelligence services in Spain.
Now let us return to the present. Ten days after Zapatero’s statement, Morocco sent more than 70,000 minors into the sea. A lifeline for the former president? A way of diverting attention and easing the pressure on ZP?
Yes—or at least at the media level.
Is anyone talking about Zapatero’s alleged jewels anymore? And what about the alleged commission payments?
The invasion of Ceuta, at the very least, achieved its effect during a dull month of August in terms of news coverage. Morocco knows how to lend a hand to its friends when they are at their lowest point, even if it comes at the expense of its image, prestige, and its own people, who are used as cannon fodder.
By Salamo Hamoudi
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