Spanish soldiers deployed in Ceuta and Melilla, and those who have served in the garrisons of the Al Hoceima rock and the Chaffarines islands, fear that the government of Pedro Sanchez, in its dynamic of appeasement of tensions with Morocco, will cede them to the kingdom.
Relations between Morocco and Spain are normalizing. After Spain’s change of position on the Sahara, King Mohammed VI has invited Pedro Sanchez to make a visit to Rabat in the coming days and would be ready to authorize the return of minors who arrived en masse in Ceuta in May last year.
The government spokeswoman, Isabel Rodriguez, reiterated on Thursday the government’s satisfaction with having changed its position on the Sahara, stressing that this decision aims to defend the interests of Spaniards in general and of Ceuta, Melilla, the Canary Islands and Andalusia in particular.
The Civil Guard of Ceuta has arrested 14 women, including Moroccans, as alleged perpetrators of trafficking of Moroccan migrants, both minors and adults, to Algeciras.
A Moroccan woman, a domestic worker without a contract in Ceuta, was acquitted in 2019 after being unjustly accused by her employer of stealing jewelry worth 60,000 euros. She is demanding justice for this "false" accusation. But three years later, the Court dismisses her, considering that it would be difficult to prove her innocence.
Pending an official decision, companies are preparing for the reopening of Moroccan maritime borders with Ceuta and Melilla and for the Marhaba Operation dedicated to MREs.
Spain has decided this Tuesday to extend the closure of the borders of Ceuta and Melilla with Morocco until April 30.
The warming of relations between Spain and Morocco could favor the reopening of the Moroccan maritime borders with Ceuta and Melilla, and therefore the Marhaba Operation dedicated to Moroccans Residing Abroad. This is in fact one of the topics that will be on the agenda of the discussions between the head of Spanish diplomacy who will make a working visit to Rabat on April 1st and his Moroccan counterpart.
After succeeding in obtaining Spain’s support for the Sahara autonomy plan , Morocco would have planned to let time pass before launching an offensive to recover Ceuta and Melilla.
The Vox party condemned on Friday the decision of the government of Pedro Sanchez to support the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara, also demanding the withdrawal of a map of Morocco integrating Ceuta and Melilla from the website of the embassy in Madrid.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares will travel to Rabat on April 1 to strengthen the bilateral relationship with Morocco. In particular, this trip will allow the reopening of the borders with Ceuta and Melilla and the resumption of maritime links and therefore the Marhaba Operation dedicated to Moroccans Residing Abroad.
Javier Otazu, former EFE agency correspondent in Rabat and currently posted in New York, believes that Morocco is attached to the Sahara and has managed to change Spain’s mind on this issue, but will never renounce its claim on Ceuta and Melilla.