Spain Bolsters Military Presence in Ceuta and Melilla Amid Rising Moroccan Tensions

For several months now, the Spanish army has been regularly sending units on surveillance and deterrence missions to Ceuta and Melilla and other strategic territories. This week again, the Ceuta tactical group and soldiers from the 10th Cavalry Regiment of Alcántara in Melilla carried out patrols on the ground and area checks in order to guarantee the safety of the citizens of Ceuta and Melilla and to protect the Spanish territory, as reported by the defense staff cited by El Debate.

Spain is strengthening its border security in the face of Morocco’s persistent claims regarding the two enclaves, as well as the Chafarinas Islands and the rocks of Al Hoceima and Velez de la Gomera. At the end of 2024, nearly a hundred Moroccan associations gathered in Beni-Enzar to create the "committee for the liberation of Ceuta and Melilla", aimed at reactivating Morocco’s historical claims on the two Spanish autonomous cities.