Spanish Politicians Urge Action Against Morocco Over Ceuta and Melilla Border Closures

The unilateral decision of Morocco to close the border posts of the cities of Ceuta and Melilla is not to the liking of the Spaniards, and particularly the leaders of these two cities who speak of an economic blockade deliberately decided by the kingdom. During a meeting held on Monday with Pedro Sanchez, the local government heads, while expressing their concerns, asked that the response be commensurate with the consequences of this unilateral closure.

For his part, the leader of the opposition, the Popular Party, also called for "draconian decisions to counter the unilateral measures taken by the Moroccan authorities". The far-right party Vox plans to present a retaliation plan next week aimed at "cutting off the telephone network that allows thousands of Moroccans living in Ceuta to communicate with their relatives in the kingdom".

In reality, the Moroccan telephone networks cover a large part of the city, particularly the border area with Fnideq, where the majority of Moroccans in Ceuta live. The Vox group within the National Assembly is preparing a proposal to ask the central government of Spain to file a complaint against Morocco concerning the abusive use of mobile phone relay antennas located on Moroccan territory. According to this parliamentary group, "these antennas cover the entire Ceuta region and have invaded the territory, causing inconvenience to citizens. Not to mention the very low cost of communications via mobile phones connected to Moroccan networks".

The Vox party’s request to the central government to jam the signal of Moroccan operators looks like an act of revenge against the decision of the Moroccan authorities to fight smuggling, which has inflicted losses estimated at several billion dirhams per year on the national economy.