Spain now fears a Moroccan offensive on certain islands

The recent UN decision regarding Western Sahara has modified the regional balances, leaving Spain in the background on this issue, worries La Razòn. This new situation revives concerns about other Spanish territories in North Africa. While the cases of Ceuta and Melilla are often cited, the Chafarinas Islands, located only 3.5 kilometers (1.9 nautical miles) from the Moroccan coast, are at the heart of the concerns. This group of three islets totals less than one square kilometer and is much closer to Morocco than the Canary Islands.

A legal void exploited by Morocco

Historically inhabited by civilians until 1927, these islands now have less than a hundred people, mainly military personnel on surveillance rotations and staff from the Ministry of the Environment. Morocco has never ceased to claim this territory. After its independence, Rabat had sent a memorandum to the UN to demand the "liberation" of the Chafarinas (Zaffarines), as well as other rocks, in the name of territorial unity.

The Spanish position is weakened by its own legislative shortcomings. The Moroccan authorities rely on the fact that these islands are not mentioned in the Spanish Constitution. In addition, references to this archipelago have disappeared from the final version of the Statute of Autonomy of Melilla. Finally, a 1977 decree failed to delimit their territorial waters, creating additional legal uncertainty.