Ceuta Melilla Morocco Trade Blockade Tensions
The passage of goods to Ceuta and Melilla has reportedly been interrupted again since mid-June. In Spain, this decision is presented as a new pressure tactic by Morocco against the two enclaves.
Tension is returning around the borders of Ceuta and Melilla. In Spain, the press claims that the passage of goods with the two enclaves has been interrupted since June 15, without official communication from Moroccan authorities.
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The Spanish government reportedly only confirmed this change a month later. According to sources from the government delegation cited by La Razón, this measure would be linked to Operation Marhaba, organized each summer to manage the massive flow of MRE between Europe and Morocco.
This explanation does not convince everyone. Operation Marhaba aims mainly to facilitate the transit of people and vehicles to Spanish ports. The last edition reached a record with nearly 3.5 million passengers and over 857,000 vehicles.
A Blockade That Worries
In Melilla, business circles were reportedly informed indirectly, after commercial operators received instructions from Moroccan authorities asking them to stop passing goods during this period.
Neither the Spanish government nor the local authorities of Melilla reportedly contacted the entrepreneurs concerned directly, according to the newspaper. This lack of communication fuels concerns in both enclaves.
The subject is all the more sensitive as commercial exchanges have remained limited since the gradual reopening of borders after the health crisis. The pandemic had led to a prolonged closure of nearly 800 days, permanently disrupting activity between northern Morocco, Ceuta and Melilla.
Within the ranks of the Spanish People’s Party, some elected officials openly accuse Morocco of pursuing a strategy of "strangulation" against the two enclaves, playing on both customs and the traveler regime.
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For Madrid, the issue remains delicate. Spain seeks to preserve its cooperation with Rabat, particularly on immigration and security, while avoiding giving the impression that Ceuta and Melilla alone suffer from decisions made on the Moroccan side.
