Moroccan legal workers in Sebta and Melilia who have been unemployed for more than two years are concerned about their future. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, on a visit to Morocco, did not address their situation.
During his visit to Morocco on Thursday, the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sanchez, will reassure King Mohammed VI that his promise to double the military budget is not aimed at strengthening the security of Ceuta, Melilla and the Canary Islands, territories claimed by Morocco.
The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sanchez, will be in Morocco this Thursday where he will have a tête-à-tête with Mohammed VI. The migration issue, the territorial integrity of Spain (Ceuta and Melilla in particular), the reopening of borders, the resumption of Operation Marhaba and many other subjects, will be on the agenda of the exchanges.
Many Moroccan women crossed the border to give birth in hospitals in Ceuta and Melilla. Since the closure of the borders, this movement is no longer possible, which has led to a 50% drop in the number of births in the autonomous cities.
Diplomat and former director of the National Intelligence Center (CNI), Jorge Dezcallar, argues that Morocco "will never abandon" its claims on Ceuta and Melilla, despite Spain’s support for the Sahara autonomy plan .
Spanish soldiers deployed in Ceuta and Melilla, and those who have served in the garrisons of the Al Hoceima rock and the Chaffarines islands, fear that the government of Pedro Sanchez, in its dynamic of appeasement of tensions with Morocco, will cede them to the kingdom.
Relations between Morocco and Spain are normalizing. After Spain’s change of position on the Sahara, King Mohammed VI has invited Pedro Sanchez to make a visit to Rabat in the coming days and would be ready to authorize the return of minors who arrived en masse in Ceuta in May last year.
The government spokeswoman, Isabel Rodriguez, reiterated on Thursday the government’s satisfaction with having changed its position on the Sahara, stressing that this decision aims to defend the interests of Spaniards in general and of Ceuta, Melilla, the Canary Islands and Andalusia in particular.
The Civil Guard of Ceuta has arrested 14 women, including Moroccans, as alleged perpetrators of trafficking of Moroccan migrants, both minors and adults, to Algeciras.
A Moroccan woman, a domestic worker without a contract in Ceuta, was acquitted in 2019 after being unjustly accused by her employer of stealing jewelry worth 60,000 euros. She is demanding justice for this "false" accusation. But three years later, the Court dismisses her, considering that it would be difficult to prove her innocence.
Pending an official decision, companies are preparing for the reopening of Moroccan maritime borders with Ceuta and Melilla and for the Marhaba Operation dedicated to MREs.
Spain has decided this Tuesday to extend the closure of the borders of Ceuta and Melilla with Morocco until April 30.