Morocco has called on Spain to return survivors and the bodies of migrants who died during the mass crossing attempt at the Tarajal border into Ceuta. Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi voiced the demand after the crossings of 30 and 31 July 2026, when tens of thousands of people attempted to reach the Spanish enclave from Morocco.
Speaking to Al Arabiya on 22 August, Ouahbi said Morocco needed information establishing the identities of the deceased. He linked acceptance of Moroccan nationals’ remains to the return of living Moroccan nationals. “We cannot receive the bodies without knowing who these people are. We have asked for the living to be returned, and now they are talking about the dead. We do not distinguish between the living and the dead,” he said. His position tied repatriation to forensic records and identification procedures, while also raising the status of unaccompanied Moroccan minors in Ceuta.
Spain’s death figures have varied depending on how they are counted. The article’s count puts the number of bodies found at 82; a resolution issued on 7 September by National Court judge María Tardón recorded 83 bodies recovered in Spanish territorial waters. Caminando Fronteras, which also counts people missing and presumed drowned, estimated as many as 141 deaths. The Moroccan Association of Human Rights has cited at least 140 deaths and called for an “exhaustive and independent” investigation into deaths and disappearances, including the treatment of minors and the legality of returns.
In Ceuta, 18 migrants were buried in the Muslim cemetery about three weeks after the border crisis. Their graves were marked with numbers so families could identify them if they came forward. The bodies recovered in Spanish waters were buried in Ceuta amid disputes over identification and repatriation. Reuters described the Sidi Embarek cemetery as a burial site for migrants who died during the crossing attempt.
Ouahbi rejected suggestions that Morocco should collect DNA samples from relatives of missing people. He argued that Spain should provide medical files and photographs to help identify the deceased. He said Morocco would accept no bodies without information about the victims and an agreed procedure. The dispute has so involved the transfer of remains alongside forensic documentation, family identification and cooperation between the two governments.
The return of minors is legally and administratively separate from the return of adults. Spain’s bilateral structure for unaccompanied Moroccan children is intended to support family reunification or transfer into Morocco’s child-protection system. The Spanish government said none of the minors had then been reunited with their families in Morocco and reported 3,331 minors among those who entered. Later figures cited 3,434 identified children in Ceuta’s protection system. Of those, 114 had joined relatives on mainland Spain and 181 had been transferred to other Spanish regions. Reuters separately reported that 262 minors had been transferred to mainland Spain.
Spain’s central government reported that more than 12,700 people returned to Morocco between 10 August and 20 October, describing them as adults under its responsibility; unaccompanied minors remained under Ceuta’s jurisdiction. Reuters reported that Spanish authorities were trying to persuade the remaining adults to return voluntarily. AMDH, by contrast, alleged forced returns and collective expulsions, contesting whether returns were voluntary and whether migrants received adequate legal safeguards.
Spanish authorities also examined rescues at sea and the role of Moroccan security forces. On 30 July, a Spanish maritime-rescue vessel recovered migrants near Ceuta after they had initially been intercepted by the Moroccan Royal Navy. A Spanish report alleged that around 30 people in deeper waters were put back into the sea after a Moroccan vessel saw the rescue ship. Spanish government sources said they did not know whether a Moroccan vessel had thrown migrants overboard. Judge Tardón separately sought information from Spain’s Defence Ministry about possible Moroccan military vessels in Spanish waters between 29 July and 10 August.
The minister also criticized Spain’s migration approach, arguing that it made it difficult for Morocco to prevent further crossings. The dispute reflects wider tensions between the two countries over migration management and border control. The situation in Ceuta has previously sparked political disputes in Spain, including criticism of the government’s handling of the crisis and calls for royal intervention, as reported in coverage of the Ceuta crisis.
Ceuta, a Spanish autonomous city on the North African coast, has long been a focal point for migration from Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa. The July crossings intensified scrutiny of both countries’ migration policies and the humanitarian challenges at the border. The demands for forensic information and identification procedures, alongside an agreement on returning survivors and remains, reflect the difficulty of managing the aftermath of a mass crossing.
