Moroccan PM Claims Ceuta and Melilla as ’Moroccan Territories’ Amid Sahara Sovereignty Debate

20 December 2020 – bySylvanus@Bladi · 1 min read

The Head of the Moroccan Government, Saâdeddine El Othmani, spoke about the status of the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla a few days after the American recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara.

"The Sahara issue is non-negotiable," he declared in an interview with the Acharq television channel, thus referring to the American recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara in exchange for the normalization of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel.

Regarding Ceuta and Melilla, El Othmani noted that the status quo has been in effect for 5 or 6 centuries. "The time will come for the issue of Ceuta and Melilla, Moroccan territories like the Sahara," he is convinced.