Ceuta and Melilla: Morocco and Spain Tell Different Stories
Morocco says that the status of Ceuta and Melilla is regularly discussed with Spain. Madrid responds that its territorial integrity has never been discussed and never will be. Two difficult-to-reconcile versions of the same diplomatic dialogue.
Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi brought the issue back to the forefront on Tuesday on Asharq TV. According to him, Rabat “systematically” raises the question of Ceuta and Melilla during its negotiations with Spain, with the aim of ultimately reaching a solution through dialogue.
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The Spanish response came as early as Wednesday and directly contradicted this account. In a statement reported by Reuters, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Spain’s territorial integrity “has not been and will never be discussed with anyone.”
The divergence therefore goes deeper than a simple disagreement over sovereignty. Rabat says the issue is part of the discussions with Madrid; the Spanish government, by contrast, maintains that it has never agreed to discuss it. The two capitals evidently do not give the same account of what happens behind closed doors.
For Madrid, Ceuta and Melilla are “untouchable”
Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles further toughened the message during a visit to Ceuta. Asked about Ouahbi’s statements, she said that Ceuta and Melilla are not only Spanish, but “super-Spanish” and “untouchable.” “Any attack on Ceuta and Melilla is an attack on Spain as a whole,” she added.
This exchange of blows comes just days after the serious migration crisis in Ceuta, during which approximately 72 000 people briefly entered the city according to Spanish figures. Madrid has since praised the cooperation of the Moroccan authorities in returning the migrants and attributed the crisis mainly to smuggling networks.
The contrast is striking: on migration, the two countries therefore continue to cooperate. On sovereignty, their positions remain diametrically opposed. Since its independence, Morocco has considered Ceuta and Melilla occupied territories and advocates their eventual return to Moroccan sovereignty. Spain considers them an integral and non-negotiable part of its territory.
At the same time, Rabat strengthened its own security measures near Ceuta and Melilla following calls circulating on social media for a new attempt at a mass crossing on 15 August. The Moroccan Interior Ministry warned that it would prosecute the organizers and participants and called on people not to be drawn in by these appeals.
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Thus, between daily cooperation at the borders and absolute disagreement over their status, Ceuta and Melilla remain one of the most sensitive issues in the relationship between Rabat and Madrid. But this week’s statements now add an additional question: if Morocco says it regularly discusses sovereignty with Spain and Spain says it has never discussed it, what is actually being said between the two countries about Ceuta and Melilla?
