Morocco Closes Border Waiting Area, Causing Delays for Returning Expats in Ceuta

Morocco had set up this space, similar to the Loma Colmenar crossing point in Ceuta, to avoid long waits and traffic jams at the border and facilitate the return of Moroccans residing abroad (MREs). But since Tuesday, this area has been closed, reports El Faro de Ceuta, specifying that vehicles coming from Morocco can now arrive directly at the Tarajal border.

Morocco set up this area without any official announcement and closed it also without a sound. It is the imam Driss El Ouahabi, known on social networks for his live broadcasts and who runs a YouTube channel, who announced the information. The space will probably be reopened for the next Marhaba Operation.

Several travelers have complained about the long waiting times and traffic jams on the Moroccan side of the Tarajal border during the return phase of the Transit Operation, denouncing the preferential treatment given to ambulances (!) and certain vehicles transporting disabled or elderly people.