Morocco continues to claim Spanish territories. In addition to Ceuta and Melilla, Rabat is now focusing on Spanish jurisdictional waters, including the Chafarinas Islands, Alborán and Perejil (Leila Islet), as well as the rocks of Al Hoceima and Vélez de la Gomera.
Morocco has expelled Mohammed Salem Busaraia, 72, a historic member of the Sahrawi collective of Lanzarote and the dean of the Sahrawi press, from Laâyoune. The "Doctor" had moved to his hometown to spend his old age there.
The ship "Ciudad de Valencia" of the shipping company Trasmediterránea, which covers the regular line between Cadiz and the Canary Islands, broke down again this week. Passengers had to wait for another ship from Morocco to board.
The Canarian Coalition (CC - Far right) denounced on Monday the fact that Spain and Morocco have engaged in negotiations for the delimitation of maritime borders, without involving the Canarian Executive.
For the past decade, Morocco has been carrying out major development projects in Dakhla with the aim of making this city near the Canary Islands a hub for the transit of goods, services and capital between Africa, America and Europe.
Morocco has decided to postpone "indefinitely" the approval of laws relating to the delimitation of maritime waters with the Canary Islands in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean, initially scheduled for Monday.
The Spanish police have dismantled a Moroccan network of drug and underage migrant trafficking in Crevillent, Callosa and Lorca (Canary Islands). The interrogation of the members of the network revealed that they were carrying out their activities in complicity with Moroccan customs officials.
Spain recently ordered 20 units of the Eurofighter air defense system, intended for the protection of the Canary Islands. But according to the latest news, the Spanish authorities would have given up deploying these devices on the archipelago for fear of "irritating" Morocco.
Fewer Moroccan migrants have arrived in the Canary Islands since the end of the diplomatic crisis between Spain and Morocco. The flow increased by only 15% by the end of August 2022 compared to the same period last year, when a 115% increase had been recorded compared to 2020.
Morocco and Spain have engaged in negotiations to delimit their maritime spaces on the side of the Canary Islands, but the process seems to be suffering from slowness. The two countries are unable to agree on a clear methodology and a realistic timetable to effectively achieve this objective.
The Canary Islands and Ceuta are overwhelmed by the unaccompanied minors arriving from Morocco. Together with the government, they have agreed to transfer 400 minors to the peninsula this year, where 374 others are still staying in children’s centers.
Spain will deploy in September MQ-9 Predator drones from the air force on the Canary Islands, near the Moroccan borders. They will carry out missions to monitor migration flows and territorial waters.