The land borders between Morocco and the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla reopened on the night of May 16 to 17, after more than two years of closure due to the Covid-19 crisis and a diplomatic quarrel recently dispelled. The gates of the European Union’s only land borders on the African continent opened shortly after 11 p.m. local time (midnight Spanish time and 10 p.m. GMT), letting through dozens of cars and queues of pedestrians in both directions. At the Fnideq border post, cross-border workers do not hide their joy: smiles light up the faces of the privileged people who find their families on the Moroccan side, to the sound of dinghies, in a festive atmosphere. However, the reopening of the borders of the two enclaves, located in northern Morocco, opposite Spain, remains limited since it only concerns passport and visa holders countries in the Schengen zone.
Smuggling
Moroccan cross-border commuters exempt from visas to access Ceuta and Melilla will still have to wait until May 31 to enter. In addition, the Moroccan authorities have decided to put a stop to the resumption of smuggling, tolerated until the fall of 2019 between Ceuta and the Moroccan cross-border town of Fnideq. This traffic irrigated the local economy, but it deprived Moroccan customs of significant revenue: between six and eight billion dirhams (550-750 million euros) each year. According to the economic site Media24for 2017 alone, approximately 945 million goods “were dumped on Morocco”. In order to put an end to it, the authorities of Rabat closed in October 2019 the crossing points dedicated to carriers of tax-free goods between the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta and Moroccan territory.
Sebta and Melillia: smuggling is well and truly over (authorized Moroccan source)
— Medias24 (@Medias24) May 16, 2022
To compensate for the end of smuggling, the Moroccan authorities inaugurated in February 2022 an economic activity zone (ZAE) in Fnideq. This project, providing for the creation of more than 1,000 direct jobs, required an investment of 200 million dirhams (19 million euros).
Coronavirus and diplomatic crisis
The Ceuta and Melilla border crossings were closed during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. The blockage continued due to the diplomatic crisis triggered a year ago between the two neighboring countries by their dispute over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Madrid put an end to this cold spell on March 18 after having made a spectacular turnaround and recognized the autonomy plan proposed by Rabat for this former former Spanish colony. The conflict in Western Sahara, a vast desert territory rich in phosphates and with abundant waters, has pitted Morocco against the Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front supported by Algeria for decades.
“Welcome”
The quarrel between Rabat and Madrid, caused by the reception in Spain of the leader of the Polisario Brahim Ghali, treated in a Spanish hospital in April 2021 to be treated there for Covid-19, had led to the arrival in Ceuta in May 2021 more than 10,000 migrants in 24 hours, thanks to a relaxation of border controls on the Moroccan side. The reconciliation sealed recently between Madrid and Rabat has made it possible to relaunch bilateral cooperation, particularly on migration issues.
The maritime connections for passengers between the two neighboring countries resumed on April 12. During the summer, the Moroccans residing abroad travel to the Kingdom in an operation called Marhaba (Welcome). And those who reach Morocco by vehicle generally do so from Spanish ports.