Spain Donates Night Vision Gear to Morocco, Sparking Controversy with Guardia Civil

The Moncloa made sure that all the steps concerning this donation of equipment to Morocco were finalized before Pedro Sánchez’s visit to Rabat last February. The Spanish authorities have authorized this transfer of night vision goggles to Morocco while the Guardia Civil is asking for more material and human resources to strengthen its fight against drug trafficking and migrant trafficking in the Strait of Gibraltar, notes the anti-Moroccan site Ok Diario.

The Moroccan Ministry of the Interior has signed a contract with the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Public Administration Policies (FIIAPP) for the purchase of this equipment "as part of the project to support integrated border and migration management in Morocco." The contract provides for "technical guarantee, training service and delivery in Morocco." The 200 night vision devices will be delivered by the Bulgarian company Opticonelectron Group for an amount of 847,000 euros, or a little more than 4,200 euros per unit. The order was placed on March 23, according to the Spanish media.

The Guardia Civil has requested the same night vision goggles to strengthen its fight against illegal trafficking in the strait, as some of the available models "are obsolete, others have battery charging problems and others are so old that they impair the operator’s vision," it is explained. In 2022, Pedro Sanchez had offered Morocco five Vanguard TX 700 horsepower boats to track down drug boats in the Strait of Gibraltar. Patrol boats that the Guardia Civil in Cadiz needs to fight drug trafficking.