Morocco to conduct naval exercises in the waters of the Sahara

In a circular dated March 19, the maritime fisheries delegations of the cities of Laâyoune and Dakhla informed the fishermen that naval maneuvers will be carried out in four maritime zones, from March 29 to June 28. During this period, these zones will be closed to fishing, reports El Confidencial.

According to diplomatic sources, this operation of the Royal Moroccan Navy aims to reaffirm Morocco’s sovereignty over the waters of the Sahara. This naval exercise will start next Friday, a week after the Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the EU, Tamara Capeta, requested the cancellation of the EU-Morocco fisheries agreement because it includes the waters of the Sahara.

The EU court had ruled in September 2021 to annul the said fisheries agreement. The Council of Ministers, the European Commission, a Moroccan fishermen’s association as well as Spain and France, had appealed this decision. The Court of Justice of the EU will deliver its final verdict at the end of June, a period that will coincide with the end of the Moroccan naval maneuvers.

The fisheries agreement between the EU and Morocco was not renewed after its expiration last July, causing huge damage to Spanish fishermen who had 93 fishing licenses in the waters of the Sahara, under Moroccan sovereignty. In addition, Morocco is also negotiating with Spain for it to cede the management of the airspace of the Sahara.