Opposition divided over Ceuta crossing attempt: which government body should be questioned?

Following the recent attempt at a mass crossing into Ceuta, a disagreement erupted among Moroccan opposition parties over which government officials should be summoned for clarification.

While the Mouvement Populaire Party sought answers from the government spokesperson, the Progress and Socialism Party demanded the presence of the Interior Minister, and the Socialist opposition party summoned both the Interior and Justice Ministers.

The opposition parties described their differing viewpoints as “differences in assessment,” in a statement to Hespress Ar.

However, political analysts believe this may reveal a “poor coordination within the opposition coalition.” The opposition in turn argued that approaching a public issue from different perspectives does not mean they are divided; their main goal is to get clear answers from the government.”

Idriss Sentissi, the head of the Mouvement Populaire parliamentary group in the House of Representatives, said, “we want Mustapha Baitas, Delegate-Ministry to the Head of Government in charge of Relations with Parliament, Government Spokesman, not the Interior Minister. We need him to provide us with clear explanations because this issue involves the entire government and multiple executive bodies across various sectors.”

In his statement to Hespress AR, Sentissi said, “while a security approach might seem reasonable, it has its limits—public force can’t just stand by and watch as hordes of young people and minors try to cross the border.”

He added that “the images being circulated call for the Justice Minister, not the Interior Minister. The real problem here is the government’s shocking silence; it hasn’t provided any clarifications up to this point.”

The opposition member stated, “we can’t just settle for those weekly press conferences, which are delivered in a monotonous language and where journalists are suppressed without any substantial information.”

He stressed “the need to convene a meeting of the Education, Culture, and Communication Committee—or any other committee—to ensure Minister Baitas is present for questioning.”

Sentissi concluded that “this is essential for activating government oversight and upholding the constitution to inform the public about this serious incident. He also noted that addressing different government representatives doesn’t mean the opposition isn’t in agreement.”

From his part, Rachid Hamouni, the head of the Progress and Socialism parliamentary group in the House of Representatives, insisted on the need for the Interior Minister to attend the Interior, Local Communities, Housing, Urban Policy, and Administrative Affairs Committee for questioning.

He argued that “Minister Baitas, as the government spokesperson, isn’t relevant to this issue.” He also noted that “the choice of which government official each opposition party decides to summon depends on their individual assessment.”

Hamouni said, “the Interior Ministry, which is responsible for border protection under international agreements, is the one handling this file and is fully informed about all the details.”

He emphasized that “having Abdelouafi Laftit attend would help clarify the truth and provide details about this incident, as well as identify which party is behind these incitement calls for migration.”

The opposition member pointed out, “the Public Prosecutor’s Office is independent and has launched a judicial investigation, so we can’t direct our inquiries to the Justice Minister.”

He added that “this is a political discussion, not a judicial one, since the judicial authority operates independently,” noting that they are awaiting the results of the investigation by the said Office.

“That’s why we want the Interior Minister, as part of the government, to clarify the situation, especially since it’s been almost a week and the government has stayed silent,” concluded Hamouni.

Abdennour Hasnaoui, a member of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces, stated that each opposition party wants to tackle the issue from its own perspective, which is completely okay.

“Each party has a specific government representative they want to summon, considering the various stakeholders involved,” he noted, stressing that the Socialist Union specifically chose Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi because of the unclear nature of the images that have emerged—whether they are real or fabricated.

He stressed that holding a joint committee meeting with the Interior Minister is essential to discuss the events and how local authorities intervened, as well as understand the underlying causes and the strange way migration was publicly promoted.”

Hasnaoui stressed that the issue shouldn’t be viewed in isolation but rather within its broader context.

He added, “this incident should be understood in the context of the Ceuta border closure and the lack of real alternatives. The region hasn’t seen any economic development or genuine options, which has led to many local residents attempting to migrate.”

Hespress Ar tried to reach out to the head of the Justice and Development parliamentary group Abdellah Bouanou. However, he did not respond to any of the messages or calls, even though he saw them all.