Morocco and Spain have reopened the land borders between Morocco and the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. These borders had been closed for two years because of Covid restrictions and a major diplomatic dispute.
The only land borders that the European Union has with Africa are on the coast of the Mediterranean in northern Morocco.
Monday night, just after 11 p.m. local time (2 a.m. GMT), the gates opened, letting dozens of cars and lines of people walk through in both directions.
At the Fnideq border crossing, people who were going to visit their families in Morocco had big smiles on their faces.
Nourredine said, “I was stuck in Ceuta for two years. I’m very happy to be back home.”
One man in his sixties said, “I’m glad that Morocco and Spain have made up because now we can see our families.”
At first, only people who live in the open-borders Schengen area of Europe and their family members will be able to cross between the two enclaves.
After May 31, it will be open to people who work across borders.
People and goods crossing borders are important to the economies on both sides of the border.
During the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, the bridges between Ceuta and Melilla were closed.
Last year, when Madrid let the leader of a Western Saharan independence movement get treated for Covid-19 in a Spanish hospital, the borders became a major point of contention.
Ten thousand migrants rushed across the Moroccan border into Ceuta while local border guards turned their heads. This was seen by many as a harsh move by Rabat.
In March of this year, Spain tried to end the diplomatic crisis with Morocco by changing its decades-long policy of neutrality and supporting the kingdom’s plan for autonomy in the Western Sahara, which Rabat says must stay under its control.
On April 12, ships could again travel between the two countries.
Morocco and Spain have agreed to work together more on illegal migration now that they have made up.
Morocco is one of Spain’s most important trade partners, and it helps a lot to stop people from coming to Europe.
- Tags: Border closure, Morocco, Spain
