Morocco Delays Reopening of Sebta Border Despite Spanish Preparations

Despite the many invitations from the Spanish side, Bab Sebta is still closed. The Moroccan authorities were preparing a possible reopening of the border on Sunday, October 10, reports L’Économiste. For their part, the Moroccan authorities are not apparently in a dynamic of reopening this border, which has been closed since August 2019. The appearance of the new coronavirus at the end of December 2019 subsequently complicated matters. Moreover, it proved difficult to manage a reopening during the health crisis.

The border has therefore remained closed to the great dismay of the population, who live mainly on shopping tourism, trade and second-hand clothing. However, Spain and Morocco are working to unblock the local economy and retrain the former border workers. More modern buildings, with a passage inspired by airport terminals and above all with tighter control on identity and goods, like land and sea borders with the rest of the countries, have been built over the past two years.

Spain had set up a smart border to identify the crossings, especially those without a passport and causing problems on both sides of Bab Sebta. These efforts are a breath of fresh air, but without the reopening of the border, the local economy will not take off.