Morocco asserts claims to Spanish enclaves as migration crisis deepens

Morocco laid claim Friday to the Spanish North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, a move that came as Ceuta struggled with a migration crisis fueled by Moroccan border inaction.

FILE PHOTO: Moroccan migrants rest next to a wall, after police evicted migrants from Ceuta beach camp to transfer them to shelters set up by the government, following mass crossings from Morocco into Spain, in Ceuta, Spain, August 20, 2026.

REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura

Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi told Moroccan broadcaster 2M that Rabat holds "historical and geographical right" to the two cities, adding he hoped for "the possibility of dialogue" with Madrid over their status.

Spain rejected the claim outright. In a diplomatic response relayed late Friday, its Foreign Ministry insisted Ceuta and Melilla "are Spanish cities" and "an integral part of Spain".

The dispute unfolded against the backdrop of an unresolved crisis in Ceuta, where roughly 80,000 migrants crossed the border en masse on July 30 and 31 after Moroccan guards failed to stop them. Spain returned more than 70,000 to Morocco in the following days, but thousands remain, camped in the streets, on a beach and in a cemetery, according to reports.

Fearing another surge, Spain reinforced its garrison Thursday with 150 troops from the Canary Islands, raising its military presence in Ceuta to over 3,000. The rights group Caminando Fronteras says at least 145 migrants died during the crossing.

(jh)

Source: PAP