Melilla Residents Protest Long Border Waits as Morocco Prioritizes Diaspora Travelers

The residents of the autonomous city had to wait more than six hours at the Beni-Enzar border to enter Morocco on Sunday. "We queued from 11 a.m. until 5:30 p.m., that’s six and a half hours later. We are desperate, especially for those of us with young children," a family going to Nador to celebrate Eid al-Adha told Melilla Hoy.

The residents of Melilla expressed their anger and discontent at the priority given to the vehicles of Moroccans from Europe in transit in the autonomous city as part of the Marhaba Operation, calling for "a more humane border." "If the money that is supposed to be used for our remittances goes to the Moroccans participating in the Marhaba Operation, what is the point of having this operation go through Melilla?" wonder some residents of the autonomous city.

Others also denounced "the lack of management" of the operation by the government delegate, Sabrina Moh, whom they call to "resign" without delay. Calls to demonstrate on Tuesday at 9 p.m. to demand a "smoother, more humane border" have also been launched on social media.