Morocco-Spain Border Closure Hits One-Year Mark with No End in Sight
This Saturday, March 13, marks one year since the land borders between Spain and Morocco were closed, much to the dismay of the inhabitants of the two countries. With the health crisis continuing, it is to be feared that the situation will remain unchanged for a long time to come.
No official date has been communicated so far by Morocco and Spain for the reopening of the borders. Due to the pandemic, the two countries were unable to hold their high-level meeting scheduled for February and finally postponed sine die, during which this issue could have been discussed as a priority.
On March 12, 2020, Morocco announced the closure, as of March 13, of its land borders for health reasons. The many people still in Ceuta did not have enough time to return to the kingdom and vice versa, many Spaniards remained stranded in Morocco.
Since the border closure, the crossings have only been reopened to repatriate Moroccans stranded in Ceuta and Melilla. The first repatriation from Melilla was carried out on May 15, 2020. The people stranded in Morocco were able to reach Melilla by a ship chartered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from Tangier.
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