The European Commission is maintaining its support for Morocco in managing migration despite the Ceuta crisis. However, the 500 million euro package covers the entire 2021-2027 period: it is not new aid decided after the July crossings.
The Ceuta crisis has severely damaged Morocco’s image in Spain. Yet only 3.1% of Spaniards want to suspend diplomatic relations with Rabat. European intervention or immediate returns at the border receive far more support.
A 54-year-old man sentenced in the Netherlands for money laundering and drug trafficking had fled to Morocco before serving his sentence. Moroccan justice took over the case and sentenced him to eight years in prison, as well as a fine of nearly 8,000 euros.
The highest-ranking operational official in the Spanish armed forces visited Melilla, then Ceuta. Officially there to thank the military personnel, Teodoro López Calderón appeared in both cities amid a period of tensions between Madrid and Rabat.
Automotive, textiles, agriculture: 17,000 Spanish companies work with Morocco, and more than 350 have a permanent presence there. After the Ceuta crisis, any sanctions against Rabat would therefore risk directly hurting the Spanish economy.
Ceuta and Melilla will remain Spanish “until the end of time,” Pedro Sánchez promises. On the same day, Nizar Baraka asserts that Morocco will not retreat “a single centimeter.” The two partners are now publicly displaying completely opposing territorial positions.
Algeria has just deployed four Su-30 fighter jets to Niger, breaking with its traditional military restraint outside its borders. This new posture comes as Algiers seeks to regain influence lost in the Sahel, particularly in the face of Morocco’s advance.
Under Rabat, work on the future Kénitra-Marrakech TGV has reached a new stage. A 3.3-kilometre railway tunnel is to cross part of the capital, allowing high-speed trains to reach Rabat-Agdal without disrupting surface traffic.
Cheb Khaled deleted the photos and videos from his concert in Rabat after a fierce controversy erupted in Algeria. The singer subsequently broke his silence to respond to those questioning his attachment to his country.
Rabat will host SOCAFRICA’s main annual symposium in December. US and Moroccan forces will bring together military delegations and industry representatives around drones, autonomous robots, exoskeletons, night-vision equipment, small arms and other technologies intended for special operations.
A former head of Spanish military intelligence claims that his country could neutralize Morocco within 24 hours if Rabat attacked Ceuta. Aircraft, ships, ports, airports and communications would be targeted in a retaliation that would go far beyond defending the enclave.
Morocco is no longer relying on a single intermediary to defend its interests in the United States. Three American firms now work simultaneously for Rabat, at a combined cost of 160,000 dollars per month, with missions ranging from Congress to digital communications.