All maritime crossings between Tangier and Tarifa were cancelled on Saturday due to strong winds in the Strait of Gibraltar. The disruption occurred during the final weekend of Operation Marhaba.
The Spanish port of Algeciras will invest €20 million to strengthen and deepen one of its main berths. The aim is to be able to accommodate three mega-container ships simultaneously, as Nador West Med prepares to gradually enter service.
Moroccan convicts are allegedly deliberately concealing their passports to block their return to Morocco. The practice is described by several Spanish public prosecutors’ offices, which accuse Moroccan consulates of systematically requiring the original document before agreeing to readmission.
A trip to Morocco planned for December for fifteen Spanish women has been cancelled. Frightened by the migration crisis in Ceuta, the participants preferred to withdraw, while several agencies in Zaragoza are reporting a slowdown in bookings to the kingdom.
The Guardia Civil has just deployed an offshore patrol vessel to the Chafarine Islands, located only 3.5 kilometres from the Moroccan coast. Capable of reaching 30 knots, the Río Guadiana is intended to strengthen maritime surveillance and prevent further clandestine entries.
The Spanish fishing fleet has shrunk by more than 60% since 1986. At the same time, purchases of Moroccan fish have surged by nearly 50% since 2018, fueling the anger of Spanish industry professionals, who denounce different constraints on the two sides of the Mediterranean.
Morocco says it is prepared to take back the minors who arrived irregularly in Sebta and criticizes Spain for not returning them. Madrid responds that around 600 older procedures remain blocked due to a lack of response from the Moroccan authorities.
A Guardia Civil report identified neither the organizers of the digital mobilization around Ceuta nor any evidence linking it to the Moroccan government or security services. These conclusions nevertheless do not bring the Spanish judicial investigation to an end.
Spanish intelligence had directly alerted Morocco’s DGST and DGED on July 29, on the eve of the mass crossings into Ceuta. The calls detected on social media brought together up to 180,000 subscribers.
Spain is strengthening its military presence on the islets it controls off the coast of Morocco. Spanish officials reportedly fear imminent Moroccan action amid heightened tensions between Rabat and Madrid.
Declassified Spanish reports establish a possible link between Pedro Sánchez’s trip to Algeria and the loosening of Moroccan controls during the migration crisis in Ceuta.
The European Union will provide Spain with 114.7 million euros following the mass crossings from Morocco at the end of July. Part of this sum will directly fund new surveillance resources in Sebta: thermal cameras, buoys and underwater drones.