Ceuta and Melilla are the source of newly heightened tensions between Madrid and Rabat. Following Rabat’s protest against the remarks made by Margaritas Schinas, the “Sanchez government” responded to the Kingdom by highlighting how unmistakably “Spanish” the two towns were.

According to statements made by Jose Emmanuel Albaris, the foreign minister of Spain, “the Spanish borders are known and clear,” and “the cities of Melilla and Ceuta are internationally recognized as Spanish.”

This response from the Spanish government is in light of the “election battles” against the right wing, which won the successful outcomes it had been striving for during the local elections and demonstrated a blatant advantage in polling places throughout numerous Spanish towns.

As a result, Pedro Sanchez, the head of Spain’s central government, called early elections for the country’s legislature in July of next year.

A fleeting storm

After the phases of “clear serenity” and “close rapprochement” in the previous period, have relations between the two parties risen to another level of tensions?

Abdelali Barouki, a university professor specializing in Moroccan-Spanish relations, answers, saying that “the current developments between the two parties cannot be considered a crisis , because the debate over Moroccan Ceuta and Melilla was and is still headed in the same direction.

Barouki added, in an interview with Hespress, that “Rabat and Madrid agreed during the recent bilateral summit not to raise any sensitive issue regarding the Ceuta and Melilla file.”

Morocco is completely committed to this agreement, as evidenced by the fact that Rabat’s protest notice was written to Margaritis Schinas, the European deputy commissioner in charge of migration, rather than the Spanish government.

The same spokesperson went on to say, “The problem of Melilla and Ceuta is of the utmost significance to Morocco, as the Kingdom has repeatedly highlighted that the two cities are, by proof of history, unmistakably Moroccan.

What is going on now is merely ordinary business between the two countries, just a “passing cloud,” and Spain has reasonably conceded to Morocco’s claims on multiple occasions.

The same professor says, “Albaris’ quick and furious response came in the context of his desire to gain electoral points for his government, against the prevailing right-wing glow in the elections,” before adding, “The Spanish government raised the issue first for fear that their rival right would be in power Elections are the first to talk about.”

Electoral fever

According to journalist and expert on Spanish issues Abdelhamid Bajouki, “the Ceuta and Melilla file is not a priority for Madrid and Rabat, but as it coincides with the Spanish electoral campaign, it is currently a pressing issue for the Spanish government.”

In a statement, Bajouki added that “the Spanish foreign minister was required to respond to Morocco, so that Spain’s right-wing will not exploit his inaction to their advantage in the elections; However, his statements do not indicate that the two sides have entered a new phase of tension.”

The same expert adds that “the two countries have established a common path for cooperation and solidarity, and Rabat is a priority for the Moncloa Palace,” and emphasizes that “the recent bilateral summit between the two parties took care to avoid raising sensitive issues, in an effort to maintain the good atmosphere between them.”

“Morocco’s presence in the Spanish election campaign is natural,” the reporter said, “but most Spanish parties this year tacitly agree not to raise any sensitive issues between the two countries, fully aware of the importance of establishing good relations with their southern neighbor.”

Read Also: Spain-Morocco border agreement stalls amidst administrative roadblocks

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Ceuta’s border barrier has been closed to vehicular traffic and is now only accessible on foot between Spain and Morocco after authorities there saw a group of about 200 migrants approaching it.

A sizable number of migrants were seen approaching the border barrier in Ceuta, one of Spain’s autonomous towns in North Africa, thus the Guardia Civil and National Police of Spain blocked the border between Spain and Morocco.

The border, which along with Melilla, the other autonomous city of Spain in Africa, is the only land border between Africa and Europe, was closed to vehicles early on Friday morning after security forces observed a group of what the Spanish press describes as “about 200 migrants of sub-Saharan origin” attempting to approach the fence. After that, Moroccan authorities managed to keep the group in check.

Police sources claim that the attempted fence jump occurred “through the middle area” of the 8.2-kilometer-long fence in Benz, which has recently served as a point of entry for migrants and refugees trying to reach Europe. This fence extends from the Tarajal border all the way to the waters of the Strait of Gibraltar.

According to data from Spain’s Interior Ministry, in the first three months of 2023, 199 persons entered Ceuta illegally by land (3.9 percent less than in the same period in 2022), while 16 more did so by sea (half as many as in 2022).

Spanish security forces have come under fire for their tactics as a result of the large-scale border crossings of sub-Saharan migrants that have occurred in recent years in both Melilla and Ceuta. Amnesty International charged Madrid and Rabat with “contributing” to the catastrophe in June 2022 when at least 23 migrants perished in Melilla while attempting to jump the fence by using “excessive use of force.” Other NGOs estimated the death toll at 37.

In case intervention is required, the Red Cross Immediate Emergency Response Team (ERIE) has been placed on pre-alert.

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Enaam Mayara, the head of the House of Councilors, made some remarks regarding the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla. Spain’s minister of defense, Margarita Robles, has responded.

A nationalist Istiqlal party member named Naam Mayara had proposed that the “occupied” cities will eventually be reclaimed by diplomacy rather than force.

“Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish; there is nothing more to dispute,” Robles declared with “absolute and entire authority.”

Robles, quoted by Europa Press, said, “I feel very Ceut and Melillense because I feel Spanish,” avoiding a direct response to Mayara’s remarks in favor of emphasizing her personal ties to the two cities.

Robles merely said that there was no discussion on the subject when asked if the Spanish government would ask Morocco for a clarification.

Spain and Morocco have long had disagreements over the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla, with Spain claiming that they are an essential component of its territory while Morocco contests this.

Mayara’s remarks are especially relevant because the Istiqlal party, of which she is a member, is a component of the tripartite party led by the Moroccan government.

During a gathering hosted by the Istiqlal women’s organization, Mayara made the remarks. The conference’s theme was “Fundamentals and Possibilities one year after the new stage of Spanish-Moroccan relations.”

In a meeting video that Facebook made available, Mayara stated that “Spanish colonization continues in Ceuta and Melilla.”

The Istiqlal, he continued, “did not stop and won’t stop talking about colonization in these two cities and the potential solutions to recover them.” Additionally, he highlighted that neither city “will be subject to blackmail”.

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According to a research from the Observatory of Ceuta and Melilla, the cities’ autonomy has left them in a legal limbo.

The observatory states that the independent nature of the enclaves “needs improvement” and hasn’t been modified in more than 20 years since it went into effect.

The report notes that “it is surprising that after more than twenty years of operation of the statutes of autonomy of Ceuta and Melilla there has not been any study, audit, or evaluation on the functioning of the administration of both cities, when it is clear that there are aspects to improve.” The report develops an exhaustive analysis on the fit of Ceuta and Melilla in the autonomous Spain.

Professor Hernández states that “the current legal system has begun to petrify as the cities lack legislative authority of their own, together with the State’s lack of agility when it comes to updating legislation” in this regard.

The Observatory of Ceuta and Melilla states in its study that the lack of adaptation of the educational system to the integration issues of the sizable Muslim minority is the result of the State’s centralized supervision of educational matters, which results in “low quality teaching results.”
Professor Hernández Lafuente emphasized the inability of submitting appeals of unconstitutionality and conflicts of competence before the Constitutional Court as the two most significant restrictions now present in the Laws of Autonomy of Ceuta and Melilla during his address.

As a result, they are powerless to preserve their autonomy because they lack the legislative authority to correct inequalities in pertinent areas like education or health, as well as the political will to demand an examination of the two cities’ respective jurisdictions.

Hernández Lafuente emphasized the necessity for the central State to demonstrate “greater support and devotion to Ceuta and Melilla” as a result of these exclusions, in order to ensure that their legal system does not result in inequality or discrimination with the residents of the rest of Spain.

The report of the Observatory of Ceuta and Melilla aims to promote a debate on the functioning of the two enclaves: “Adequate legal and political solutions are needed to adapt the situation of Ceuta and Melilla to the integral functioning of the autonomous State.”

Carlos Echeverra, the director of the Observatory, delivered the presentation. He stressed that the report dealt with the constitutional and administrative aspects of both cities, and in particular, how Melilla and Ceuta fit into the constitutional framework, or “both where we are and where we should be,” in statements to the Spanish publication El Faro de Melilla.

Read Also: Europe needs more than ever to strengthen its relations with Morocco ( Mediterranews)

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With more than just the approaching shutdown of the Fnideq commercial zone, which will become an industrial and economic pole that will eventually contribute to the implementation and operation of the occupied regional economy, a suffocating crisis lurks on the surface of the sea of the seized city of Ceuta.

According to Spanish media, Moroccan could very well entice huge worldwide corporations to invest in all of these locations and establish outlets.

IKEA, for instance, is one of the first international corporations to formally proclaim stability in these new locations, providing the opportunity for so many other employees and revitalizing the northern region.

Instead of the occupied Ceuta warehouses, the Fnideq economic zone project is anticipated to have 33 warehouses of various sizes to hold imported goods through the Tangier Med-port, whether for re-export or distribution in the internal market.

Last Friday, a series of training classes were inaugurated for merchants interested in settling in Fnideq’s economic activity zone.

This training course, which will be held every Friday at 4 p.m., aims to educate traders with the administrative, customs, and legal procedures, as well as the privileges afforded by the Fnideq Economic Activity Zone, and how to operate them following its official debut in the coming weeks.

These courses are provided in collaboration with the northern provinces’ promotion and development agency, the Tangier Med special agency, the national Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Competence, the regional tax directorate, and the regional directorate of customs and excise taxes.

According to the Tangier-Tetouan-Hoceima Regional Investment Center’s Siham Benabdelnabi.

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The Spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, said, yesterday Tuesday, that Morocco and Spain “must hold an open dialogue with the aim of settling all unresolved issues between them” following the diplomatic crisis between the two countries

In this regard, the Anadolu news agency reported that the order was issued by Dujarric during a press briefing held at the Organization’s permanent headquarters in New York.

Dujarric stressed, “Whenever there are tensions between two Member States, whether it’s Spain and Morocco or any other, we would always encourage for an open dialogue between the two to resolve these […] whatever outstanding issues may have created this crisis.”

It is noted that Morocco – Spain relations are currently experiencing a crisis, against the background of the latter allowing the entry of Polisario leader Brahim Ghali with forged document last April 21^st, in addition to the influx of about 8,000 irregular migrants between May 17 and 20, from Morocco to the occupied city of Ceuta.

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With all its rich background of tumultuous colonial history, Spain failed to pass the test of separating politics from altruistic humanitarian gestures when Morocco flatly refused its Samaritan defense of giving Brahim Ghali, leader of so -called   Polisario and RASD, a medical sanctuary to recover from a Covid infection.

That Spanish ‘humanitarian’ defense of a purely political action seemed less convincing when Moroccan intelligence services blew the horn with material evidence that Ghali had been admitted to Spain with an Algerian passport and a fake identity.

That Moroccan unmasking of Spanish connivance with Algeria and Ghali was explosive enough to unleash a cascade of retributive actions by Moroccan authorities; as Ambassadress Benyaich was called back home for consultations, and Moroccan security guards, at the border separating occupied city of Ceuta from the motherland, were overpowered by 8000 refugees who flooded the city in anticipation of a hazardous Mediterranean crossing to Spain and other European countries.

In fact, Moroccan-Spanish relations had been tense and escalating towards a head-on conflict since last December when Madrid defiantly challenged president Trump’s recognition of unconditional Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara. Thus, the Ghali incident was only the first of a string of breaking points that pose a real threat to complex and unique bilateral relations.

Spain is not only the first commercial partner of Morocco but it is also the occupier of Ceuta and Melilla and the beneficial recipient of hard sought Moroccan intelligence briefing about terrorist activists.

In addition, Morocco had always been a major participant in regional efforts to counter the influx of illegal migration towards European shores of the Mediterranean.

While most observers are still bewildered by the rapid deterioration of supposedly ‘strategic’ relations, Moroccan authorities, empowered by Trump’s recognition, were quick to set the rules of Spanish engagement in the Sahara conflict. According to a new diplomatic offensive headed by Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, Spain can no longer befriend Morocco and at the same time play host to Ghali to secure its share of Algerian fuel exports and the future wealth of a fictitious republic.

In Morocco’s perspective, Ghali’s admission cannot be explained by ‘humanitarian’ considerations since Spain is fully aware that he declared war on Morocco last November while being sought by Spanish judiciary to face criminal charges of committing mass extermination, torture and rape.

Taking all these details in account, the bottom line set by Morocco, seems both visible and logical: human considerations, though noble and elevating, cannot be misused as political alibi to cover up malicious intentions or disguise deep rooted animosity.

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Spanish authorities are currently facing increasing embarrassment, as the army abused people who entered the occupied city of Ceuta yesterday, and who included citizens of Yemeni, Syrian and African nationalities suffering from armed conflicts.

The scandal of Spain’s handling of this situation revealed tangibly the reality of the government’s “humane” treatment of individuals that actually require that they be received and provided with protection.

This rejection is a flagrant violation of international and European laws that refuse any repulsion of refugees coming from conflict areas.

It is noted that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) previously recognized that Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic had violated European Union law by not receiving refugees under the 2015 resettlement plan.

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The diplomatic crisis between Morocco and Spain is growing bigger, following the entry of thousands of people into the occupied Ceuta, and Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, paying a visit to the city to investigate the situation.

A few hours after the Spanish Foreign Ministry summoned the Moroccan ambassador, Karima Benyaich, reliable sources revealed that Morocco had also summoned its ambassador for consultations.

Relations between the two countries are moving towards great diplomatic tension, amid pressures that the Spanish government is facing, either because of the inhabitants of the city of Ceuta, which suffers from a great economic depression, or some politicians who are accusing Sanchez of mismanaging the diplomatic crisis with Morocco, following the incident of receiving Polisario leader Ibrahim Ghali.

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Violent confrontations erupted this morning between people wishing to enter Ceuta from Melilla and the Spanish police, who were deployed in large numbers to confront the largest entry into the city

Spanish security forces used tear gas bombs to keep people away from the barbed wire.

The Spanish government is stuck in a real dilemma, with the arrival of thousands of people to Ceuta, and the Civil Guard and National Police personnel losing control of the situation, as hundreds of people were spotted wandering the streets of the city, which prompted some Spanish politicians to make “racist” and “hostile” statements.

In light of this unexpected situation, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez cut short his participation in one of the EU meetings.

In the same context, the ministers of Interior and Foreign Affairs made statements trying to reassure the inhabitants of occupied Ceuta, while Sub-Saharan immigrants found way to enter the city.

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