Spain Deploys Frigates Near Ceuta and Melilla Amid Tensions with Morocco

The Spanish Navy has deployed three frigates in its waters near Morocco, one in Ceuta (Reina Sofía F-84) and two in Melilla (Navarra F-85 and Canarias F-86). Two-day open house days are planned to allow citizens to visit these F-80 series frigates, which have been in service for more than 30 years. Spain deployed these vessels after learning that the high-level meeting with Morocco, scheduled for the end of this year, has been postponed to January or February 2023, reports El Debate.

In a letter addressed to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in October, Morocco stated that it "has no land borders with Spain" and that "Melilla continues to be an occupied territory." The kingdom has constantly claimed these two Spanish enclaves, despite Sanchez’s decision to support the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara. The President of the Spanish Government has tried to put an end to the controversy by recently declaring that "Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish, period."

Similarly, the kingdom claims Spain’s jurisdictional waters, particularly the Spanish rocks and islets. Vox (far-right) had proposed in February to "properly" delimit the waters under Spanish jurisdiction, particularly for fishing purposes. In his recently published book, the former Chief of the Defense Staff (Jemad), Fernando Alejandre, stressed that Morocco represents a "serious" threat to Spain, referring to the repeated migrant assaults on the border.