Morocco’s Border Closure with Spanish Enclaves Extends Beyond Pandemic, Business Leaders Claim

On March 13, 2020, Morocco closed its borders with Spain in Ceuta and Melilla. They have remained closed since then, except for some special authorizations to repatriate Moroccan citizens stranded in the autonomous cities. Thus, after two years of closure due to the health crisis, it is time to resume normal life, believes the Melilla business community, specifying that if the border has remained closed for so long, it is due, not to the pandemic, but to the "political context" marked by the serious crisis that persists between Morocco and Spain, caused by the arrival of the Polisario leader, Brahim Ghali, in Spain.

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As proof, President Alcoba recalls that the Moroccan ambassador to Madrid, Fatima Benyaich, recalled since May for consultations in Rabat, has still not returned to her post. Spain’s position, which does not recognize the Moroccanness of the Sahara, is also a main cause of the crisis between the two countries, he points out, further specifying that Morocco had already begun to "suffocate" Ceuta and Melilla Morocco Unveils New Commercial Zone Near Ceuta to Boost Regional Tourism well before the crisis. In this regard, he mentions the closure of the commercial customs in Melilla in August 2018, and the end of smuggling in Ceuta in November 2019. The health crisis, which occurred in March 2020, was only the last straw, he analyzes.

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However, the health situation has already almost "normalized" in the world and most countries have already reopened their borders, insists Alcoba. The closure of the border in Melilla has severely affected the commercial relations of the autonomous city with the neighboring regions, he assures, adding that several businessmen have ceased their activities and others have had to leave the city to settle in Malaga and Almeria from where they import by sea to Morocco. "The situation is economically difficult, but it is much worse for those who live on the border in Morocco, because they have no other alternative," lamented the president of the business community, calling for the normalization of relations between Spain and Morocco.

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For the moment, there is no prospect of reopening the borders, but with the recent assaults in Melilla, the focus is more on control and defense of the Beni-Enzar border, Alcoba said. He also advocated for the reopening of commercial customs and better control of entries and exits in the event of a reopening of the borders.