Massive Delays at Ceuta-Morocco Border as Marhaba Operation Overwhelms Officials

The Marhaba Operation Organizing Committee in Spain seems overwhelmed by the situation prevailing at the Tarajal border where monstrous traffic jams of MREs have been noted since the beginning of this July. In the Loma Colmenar waiting area, installed near the border, it is total chaos. Over the last two weekends, MREs, the majority of whom have opted this year for the Algeciras-Ceuta maritime link due to its low cost compared to the direct Algeciras-Tanger Med link, spend up to six hours waiting to enter Morocco.

This probably explains Ceuta’s difficulty in managing this significant influx of MREs, which has increased by 45% compared to 2019, the last year the Marhaba Operation was held. The organizing committee seems to have shown total unpreparedness. No sales point for drinks or food has been installed in the waiting area near the border to allow MREs to quench their thirst or regain their strength. After the protests of the MREs, the committee had to call on an association that helps the underprivileged to provide water and drinks to the MREs.

From Friday to Saturday, the Moroccan authorities blocked access to Morocco for the residents of Ceuta, giving priority to the MREs. This prompted the latter to block access to the border around 1 a.m. as a sign of protest. It was only at 4 a.m., after the last MRE vehicle had passed, that Morocco opened the access roads to the residents of Ceuta.

The fault for this poor organization of the Marhaba Operation lies with the local authorities, believes Ceuta Ahora, denouncing the incompetence of the city president, Juan Vivas, and his inability to solve the problems that arise. According to the same source, the city authorities are subjected to pressure from Morocco without doing anything. This "tolerance towards Morocco" and this tendency of the local authorities to "Moroccanize" Ceuta to the detriment of the rights of the city’s citizens, must be fought, it believes, calling for the current team to be ousted at the polls in the next elections.