Spain has begun to strengthen its military presence in its territorial waters near Morocco, since the installation of a Moroccan fish farm on the Chafarinas Islands. After the Velez de la Gomera and Al Hoceima rocks, the Spanish Navy has been instructed to strengthen its presence in the waters surrounding Melilla.
A Spanish navy ship is currently on a mission in the Melilla region. Its presence in the enclave has not been viewed favorably by Morocco.
Border workers in Ceuta and Melilla have had enough of being stranded there, far from their loved ones, since the borders closed in March 2020. They are calling on the authorities to find a solution to their situation and reopen the borders, even if only temporarily.
The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) denounces the "inhuman and illegal" treatment inflicted on about thirty Moroccan minors residing at the reception center in Melilla on the night of December 31, 2021 and the arrest of some of them. These Moroccan minors were denied access to the shelter and had to demonstrate for two days.
The President of Melilla, Eduardo de Castro, hopes for the reopening of the border and a resumption of relations with Morocco as early as next year.
14 young Moroccans, aged 17 to 20, managed to enter Melilla on Wednesday to avoid, they claim, performing the military service now compulsory in Morocco.
The leader of the Vox party in Ceuta, Juan Sergio Redondo, denounces the inaction of the Spanish government which "has done nothing" since the migration crisis of last May to prevent new massive entries of migrants at the borders of the autonomous city with Morocco.
The President of the Melilla Port Authority, Víctor Gamero, hopes that Morocco will not exclude the city, for the third consecutive year, from Operation Marhaba.
The closure of the borders of Ceuta and Melilla has caused a surge in Moroccan customs revenues. Proof that smuggling was really undermining the Moroccan economy.
Two years after the closure of Ceuta and Melilla, notably due to smuggling, the economic future of these two cities seems compromised.
The Spanish authorities estimate that Morocco will not reopen its borders with Ceuta and Melilla before the second half of 2022. In the meantime, they are considering how to improve security at the border crossings of the two cities in order to put an end to smuggling.
Spain is developing a socio-economic and commercial plan for the cities of Ceuta and Melilla. The borders with Morocco will be redesigned under this plan to prevent the resumption of smuggling after the reopening.