After the mass arrivals from Morocco, NATO official assures that the Alliance would support Spain

Javier Colomina, NATO Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, was categorical. “Personally, I have no doubt that, if Spain decided to invoke Article 5 for something that occurred in Sebta or Melilla, the Alliance would respond,” he said on Thursday, September 17.

The Spanish diplomat, who is also NATO’s Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood, was speaking at the “Dialogues for Security” forum held in Madrid. His comments were reported by Europa Press.

Colomina directly links this possibility to the mass crossings recorded in Sebta on July 30 and 31. He considers it “difficult not to think” that such an event could involve a dimension of hybrid warfare. Madrid had then recorded tens of thousands of entries from Morocco in just two days.

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According to the NATO official, the use of irregular migration as a means of pressure is now a reality. He recalls that the Alliance acknowledges that a hybrid campaign may, due to its severity, lead a member state to invoke collective defence.

Sebta remains outside the explicit scope of Article 5

The situation of Sebta and Melilla nevertheless remains particular. The two Spanish cities located in Africa are not included in the geographical area explicitly defined by Article 6 of the Washington Treaty for the application of Article 5.

Javier Colomina himself acknowledges this legal difficulty. Nevertheless, he considers that the treaty politically protects the entire territory of the allied countries and that the other members would not leave Spain without support in the event of a serious crisis.

This response would not be automatic. Spain would first have to decide to invoke Article 5, after which the North Atlantic Council would have to collectively determine whether the situation justified its application. “Politically, the Alliance would respond if necessary,” Colomina told Cadena SER.

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Spain has taken no steps in this direction. It has not even requested consultations under Article 4, a less binding procedure that allows an ally to approach NATO when it considers that its territorial integrity or security is threatened.