Sonia Moreno: "Behind the Ceuta crisis there is political intentionality"

MadridSonia Moreno is a journalist, former correspondent in Rabat for various media outlets such as Cadena SER and El Español, and author of the book Marruecos, el vecino incómodo (La Esfera de los Libros, 2025). It is now more relevant than ever with the Ceuta crisis, as Moreno points out the keys to understanding what is happening.

Why is Morocco an uncomfortable neighbor?

— It is uncomfortable because it is strategically located where it is, on the southern border, and there is the Strait of Gibraltar, which many countries want to control. That is why we collaborate with them on matters of counter-terrorism, drug trafficking, immigration... We need to get along with them, but we see that even though we get along, we are in the current situation in Ceuta. Even though Pedro Sánchez made a turn in his policy on Western Sahara, we have not achieved practically any advantage.

He believes that Morocco is behind the massive entry into Ceuta.

— There are photographs, it is the modus operandiof Morocco and it is the analysis that anyone who knows those borders can make. I lived in Tangier, Rabat, I have infiltrated the mafia and I know how they operate with immigration, and in the Ceuta crisis there is no mafia behind it. There has been a policy of crossed arms by the Moroccan armed forces. It is impossible that after 24 hours people were still entering; in all the cities there are police checkpoints. I have also spoken with people who were at the Throne Day in Morocco on July 30th and there it was already known that something was happening.

What is Morocco looking for?

— I do not believe this is a migration crisis. Behind the Ceuta crisis lies a political intention to pressure Spain to take a further step in its recognition of Western Sahara. So far, the Sánchez government has agreed to accept the autonomy plan, but it does not recognize Morocco's sovereignty over the entire territory of the Sahara, which Germany did, and above all, Donald Trump did. So what they want is the airspace and the territorial waters to exploit all of this. And that is what is intended.

And the claims to Ceuta and Melilla?

— They want a shared sovereignty.

After the classification of documents, do you think the Spanish government could have reacted?

— Spain has delegated a great deal of this border control to Morocco and should have anticipated things that it knew would make it angry, such as the law that grants nationality to the Sahrawis.

Do you predict a worsening of relations?

— There will be some diplomatic problems. Furthermore, the visit of King Felipe VI is planned, and the last and only time that King Juan Carlos I went there, there were 60 days of diplomatic crisis. It is also true that Spain cannot do much more either: until now it has cooperated and has achieved nothing. There is not much of a scenario left other than trying to confront Morocco. The recent image of the king dressed in military uniform with the Minister of Defense is an image to tell Morocco that they are neighbors, that there is cooperation, but this cannot continue like this.

What does it mean to stand up to Morocco?

— Get serious, send more weaponry probably to Ceuta and Melilla, the visit of the monarchs, and continue defending the Spanish character of Ceuta and Melilla, but without hesitation.

How has the current confrontation between Spain and the United States impacted this crisis?

— If Spain got along better with the United States and Israel, it would be more difficult for Morocco. Now Morocco is emboldened. The United States is very interested in the control of North Africa, of the strait... And Israel, even more so.

Was it Morocco that spied on Pedro Sánchez? Do you think they are blackmailing him?

— There is an investigation by many international journalists and Amnesty International that points to Morocco being behind the infection of your mobile with Pegasus. I don't know what they have. My Moroccan sources tell me it was corruption. They told me this in 2021 and they spoke to me about Ábalos.

What is it like to be a journalist in Morocco? She was spied on.

— From the moment you arrive in Morocco, the government knows where you are. The man who acts as a guardian for the houses is clearly paid by the state and reports on what you buy, what time you enter and leave, who comes to your house... It is very clear to us that working as a journalist in Afghanistan is not easy, but neither is it in Morocco. They can enter your house and plant evidence of anything on you, which is what happens to our Moroccan colleagues, who end up in prison. They infected my phone and I experienced it very badly. Now there will be a trial and, luckily, it is on the right track. I have not been afraid, but now I would be in physical danger in Morocco.

The book says that Spain has not looked at Morocco as an equal.

— It is about not looking through colonizing glasses, which is equivalent to underestimating. There is a brutal lack of knowledge about what Morocco is. How can one speak of invaders? It is mind-boggling, it is to understand absolutely nothing, not to understand that there is a lot of repression, a 37% youth unemployment rate, a brutal absenteeism in schools. It is necessary to understand all this to understand why they want to come here.