Spain Funds Morocco’s Border Security Despite Diplomatic Tensions

Despite the serious diplomatic crisis opened with Morocco after the reception of Brahim Ghali in a hospital in Logroño, and the migratory crisis that followed with the massive arrival of migrants in Ceuta, Spain continues to support Morocco in the fight against illegal immigration. A few days after the Ceuta crisis, on May 28 to be exact, Spain concluded the procedure for the acquisition of 98 long-range thermal cameras for the benefit of Morocco for an amount of more than 6.5 million euros. It is currently studying the offers submitted by private companies for the acquisition of 90 all-terrain quads including 30 of the automatic type intended for Morocco. This acquisition will cost 8 million euros, reports Vozpópuli.

Spain is making these purchases as part of the Support Program for Border and Migration Management in Morocco, financed by an Emergency Trust Fund of the European Union for Africa, which had already been used to equip Morocco with 220 all-terrain vehicles, 36 trucks and five boats over the past two years.

In addition to these purchases, there are reinforcements of Moroccan security forces at the borders in terms of equipment and equipment by the Spanish Ministry of the Interior for better control of migratory flows. Since 2007, nearly 40 million euros in aid, financed from the Spanish budget, have been provided to Morocco in this framework. In 2017, an all-terrain vehicle, three quads, ten night vision binoculars and five portable gas analyzers were offered to the Moroccan police, who benefited from 75 other all-terrain vehicles during the year 2018.