Nasser Bourita , Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Residing Abroad, reacted to the statement by Pedro Sanchez, President of the Spanish Government, on the diplomatic crisis between the two countries. He reiterated that ’the bilateral crisis is not related to the migration issue.’
Brahim Ghali, leader of the Polisario, admitted urgently to a hospital in Logroño on April 18, will have to appear before the Spanish justice system this Tuesday, June 1. He is accused of torture, rape and human rights violations. This hearing could somewhat appease the tensions between Morocco and Spain.
More than a thousand unaccompanied Moroccan minors arrived in Ceuta between May 17 and 18, triggering an unprecedented migration crisis. Despite the care of 1,125 of them by the local administration, many are still wandering the streets of the Spanish enclave. Their families prefer them to stay in Spain rather than return to Morocco.
A few days before mid-June when the Operation Marhaba usually starts, there is great uncertainty about the opening of the Moroccan borders to allow Moroccans residing abroad (MRE) to spend their summer holidays in the kingdom. For its part, the port of Algeciras assures that it is ready for the Transit Operation, even though it doubts that it will be part of it this year.
Morocco did not include Spain on the list of participants in the 2021 edition of the African Lion military exercise, organized annually by the kingdom, in collaboration with the US military command for Africa (Africom).
Morocco has a strategic importance for Spanish interests, acknowledged Pedro Sánchez during the presentation of the Action Plan for the Internationalization of the Spanish Economy 2021-2022.
Morocco is seeking the help of Arab countries to deal with the European Union (EU) which, for its part, supports the Spanish government in defending the Spanish territoriality of the cities of Ceuta and Melilla.
Josep Piqué, former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated that the reception of the Polisario leader, Brahim Ghali under a false identity is "a mistake" that Spain "must rectify as soon as possible".
In reaction to Morocco’s attitude of allowing thousands of migrants to arrive in Ceuta, causing an unprecedented migration crisis, the far-right party Vox has called on the Spanish government to suspend subsidies to Morocco and cancel Operation Marhaba 2021 as well as the granting of entry visas to Europe for all Moroccan citizens.
The massive arrival of migrants in Ceuta against the backdrop of a diplomatic crisis between Morocco and Spain continues to provoke reactions. Michael Roth, German Minister of State for Europe, has just attacked the Moroccan authorities.
The Spanish justice has opened an investigation into the conditions of expulsion of Moroccan migrants, following a complaint filed by an NGO and the videos and images showing Spanish agents and soldiers using violence and assault during the operations to expel Moroccan migrants in Ceuta.
A wind of panic is blowing on the Algerian intelligence services, who are desperately searching for the spy who leaked information about the emergency admission of Brahim Ghali , leader of the Polisario, to a hospital in Logroño, Spain under the borrowed name of Mohamed Ben Battouche, Algerian nationality, on April 18. An investigation is underway.