Morocco has said it is ready to cooperate with Spain and other European partners to return unaccompanied Moroccan minors after last week’s unprecedented migration surge into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta left more than 1,100 children stranded across the territory.
According to Morocco’s state news agency MAP, a diplomatic source said Rabat was acting under royal instructions to identify the minors and facilitate their return, rejecting accusations from some Spanish political figures that Morocco had failed to cooperate on migrant repatriation.
The source argued that legal and administrative barriers in European countries, not a lack of political will from Morocco, remain the biggest obstacle to returning the children.
The announcement follows one of the biggest migration incidents in recent years at the Morocco-Spain border. Spanish authorities said about 72,000 migrants entered Ceuta during the mass crossing, while Moroccan officials estimated the figure at around 40,000.
Although most adults have since returned to Morocco, unaccompanied minors remain protected under Spanish and international child welfare laws, making their repatriation far more complex.
