On the eve of the bilateral summit in Madrid, the Polisario Front has issued a severe warning to the Spanish government. The organization claims that the recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara is only a step and that the next target of Rabat’s ambitions will be the Canary Islands archipelago .
The Spanish and Moroccan governments are meeting in Madrid on Thursday for a High-Level Meeting (RAN) with multiple stakes. While migration cooperation has shown spectacular results, there are still gray areas, particularly on the fluidity of trade at land borders, in a diplomatic context marked by Rabat’s advances on the Sahara issue.
The Chafarinas Islands have been under Spanish administration since the 19th century, but their future seems increasingly uncertain in the eyes of Madrid. Located just a few kilometers from the Moroccan coast, this archipelago is the subject of historical claims by Rabat, which could take advantage of major legal ambiguities in the Spanish texts to support its demand.
The persistent disagreements between the Trump administration and the government of Pedro Sánchez could have major strategic repercussions. While Washington points to the insufficiency of Spanish military spending relative to GDP, the hypothesis of a relocation of the Rota and Morón bases to Morocco is resurfacing, pushed by influential voices across the Atlantic.
France and Spain took advantage of a moment of weakness in Morocco, then led by Moulay Abdelaziz, successor to Moulay Hassan who died in 1894, to establish their colonial domination over the kingdom.
It was supposed to be the start of a shared life after a wedding celebrated in Morocco, but the move to Spain turned into a closed-door nightmare. A man was sentenced in Barcelona for having sequestered his wife for four months, forcing her to live in complete darkness and under physical abuse.
The Muslim community of Torrox, supported by the inhabitants of the city and other localities of Malaga, has managed to raise the necessary funds for the repatriation to Morocco of the bodies of the four people of the same family, who died on Tuesday due to a gas leak in the Axarquía region.
A recent survey by the Center for Sociological Research (CIS) reveals a growing concern in Spain about the risk of armed conflict. Among the scenarios envisaged by public opinion, a confrontation with Morocco ranks second in the expressed fears, just behind Russia.
On November 10th, the court in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria ordered the Moroccan consulate in the Canary Islands to pay Amir (a pseudonym), a driver for the institution, the sum of 20,000 euros in damages, finding Consul Fatiha El Kamouri guilty of "degrading treatment" and unfair dismissal.
A tragedy struck the town of Torrox, in the province of Malaga, on Tuesday. Four members of the same family of Moroccan origin were found dead at their home, victims of carbon monoxide poisoning reportedly caused by a failure in their heating system.
Entrepreneurs from Ceuta and Melilla express their frustration with the inaction of the Spanish authorities to relaunch the commercial customs. They point the finger at the lack of willingness of Morocco, which claims the two autonomous cities and considers them as occupied territories.
The Seville Local Police honored one of their own this Monday. Marouane Chhayby Braik, who became a municipal agent after a difficult immigration journey, received a strong tribute during the ceremony for the Police Corps Holiday.