Moroccan Nationalists Ignite Border Controversy: Calls for "Liberation" of Ceuta and Melilla Spark Tension

The group demands the end of the Spanish "occupation" of Ceuta and Melilla and calls for declaring September 17 as the official day to claim the Moroccanness of the two Spanish cities. It is on this date that the Castilian troops took Melilla in 1497, according to Ok Diario. On social media, the Committee calls for the removal of all border controls, which it considers an "offense to the dignity of the Moroccan people".

"Spain must leave Ceuta and Melilla unconditionally," the Moroccan group said, adding that "no Moroccan must present his passport to enter his own country." The Committee for the Liberation of Ceuta and Melilla also call for "disobedience" to the regulations in force at border posts such as Beni Enzar, which they consider "humiliating and illegal".

No reaction from the Moroccan authorities has been recorded following these statements. For some analysts, this silence from Rabat could be seen as consent. In Ceuta and Melilla, this lack of reaction from Morocco is causing concerns. In the two enclaves, the nationalist discourse is perceived as a direct threat to the stability of the borders. The businessmen of the two cities warn against the negative effects of this campaign on trade exchanges with Morocco.

The national movement announces symbolic actions for September 17 to "make its cause visible" at the international level, which is causing concerns in the two presidencies.