Moroccan Diaspora Returns Home as Spain Reopens Transit Routes for Annual Summer Migration

After two years of cancellation due to the health and diplomatic crisis between Morocco and Spain, the Marhaba Operation has resumed this year. MREs from France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands are numerous this summer to use the Spanish highways and ports to reach the kingdom and spend time with their loved ones.

"When I was young, we left Nîmes with my parents, and my brothers and sisters. My mother prepared the meals for each of us in advance: bread, hard-boiled eggs, canned tuna, etc.," Karim, an MRE from Berkane and father of four children, told the Anadolu agency. Like him, several MREs and their families are buying boat tickets to reach Morocco via the Spanish ports.

In Almería for example, many MREs are queuing in their vehicles to board the ferries bound for Nador. The same is true in the ports of Malaga, Motril, or Algeciras. Arrived at the Melilla border with Morocco, the MREs also have to wait for hours under the sun before entering the kingdom.

"It’s really painful with the children in the cars, but we have no choice but to wait patiently," says Nora, an MRE in the border queue. "We’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. So these few hours of waiting don’t matter much anymore," she adds. Out of the 5 million MREs in the world, 80% live in Europe. In 2021, remittances from MREs reached a record of more than 93.3 billion dirhams (about 8.8 billion euros), according to Bank Al-Maghrib.