The Spanish colony of Ceuta as a place where the border of the European Union can be crossed without control (Spain). Spanish-Moroccan contradictions. Perehill conflict. Morocco-Spain border

Perhaps there are few places in the world that are so little known to tourists. A couple of years ago, I did not even imagine that on the coast of Morocco, the Spaniards to this day, with the help of a foreign legion, hold as many as six small colonial enclaves. Two of them, Ceuta and Melilla, are quite accessible and extremely interesting in the context of mighty medieval fortresses and chic architecture of the late 19th century. Four other enclaves are closed to tourists because they are isolated fortresses on the Moroccan coast. Imagine a fortress on the seashore, owned by another state and surrounded by barbed wire. Sounds like absurdity? Moreover, Morocco actively claims these enclaves, which has become the reason for several conflicts between the two countries. And finally, Ceuta and Melilla have an unusual autonomous status within Spain, which in a strange way is reflected in the visa policy of these individual geographical points.

I first found myself in one of the enclaves, Ceuta, in February 2007, when I accidentally read about the strange history of these places. Being at that moment in the Moroccan town of Tetouan in the north of the country, I took a bus and in an hour drove to the border with this Spanish enclave. And I saw the border market chaos and walls around the perimeter -

I was not particularly worried about the border, fortunately, using dual citizenship, I entered Europe freely. Moroccans have one passport, Spaniards have another. Repeatedly worked out scheme.

If Tangier is the gateway to Morocco for Europeans of all stripes and needs, then Ceuta is the gateway to the world for Moroccan shoppers and rare backpackers. These gates are very different from each other both in appearance and in the contingent of those crossing these borders. Ceuta (in Arabic - Sebta) occupies only 18 square kilometers and includes a mountainous peninsula protruding into the sea, connected to the land by a narrow isthmus, where the city of Ceuta is actually located. The enclave is separated from Morocco by a fortified barrier line, which is clearly visible from some panoramic positions already inside the enclave. The border crossing is unique. First of all - do not take pictures on the territory of the terminals, be it Spanish or Moroccan. When I was detained, two Spanish girls who filmed the process of customs inspection of the car on a video camera. Their detention was not limited to verbal suggestion, but they were put into a gendarmerie car and taken away in the direction of Tetouan.

Enclave number one - Ceuta

Further. A group of local Moroccan hustlers (molesters), apparently not very tourist oriented, will try to sell you immigration cards to leave Morocco. This is offered to everyone, but you should not listen to them - cards are issued completely free of charge at the passport control windows. Tourists stand in a separate queue from the Moroccans and very quickly, having received a stamp in exchange for a filled card, they follow to the Spanish terminal, which is about fifty meters away. And here, already on the Spanish side, I was struck by the ease with which crowds of people enter Europe. No one checked the documents of people entering Spain. I repeat - in general, no one checked my documents, as well as none of the Europeans who passed through this border crossing. I didn’t even take out my passport, but only walked in a crowd of Moroccans, and a minute later I ended up at a bus stop already on the territory of the enclave. Meanwhile, at the crossing, several dozen Spanish military men closely monitored those crossing the border, but only single blacks (obviously refugees) and some Moroccans with especially large trunks were weeded out. So I crossed the border. True, then he returned and asked me to put a stamp for the collection, which the Spaniards did. Needless to say, no one entered me into the database. They took the passport, slapped a stamp on the first page that came across.

There are two ways to get to Ceuta: by ferry from Spanish Algeciras (1.5 hours) and about 30 euros one way, or on foot from Morocco. There is no airport in the enclave. And remember that if you entered the enclave without a Schengen visa (which is quite realistic), then you still will not be put on a ferry to Spain - there is a full-fledged passport control in the port.

Ceuta is an extremely beautiful place, I spoke about it separately in a report,. Just a few of my photos from there for the "seed" -

Enclave number two - Melilla

Complementing what has already been said in the report, this is the most remote enclave of Spain, located near the border between Morocco and Algeria. And the least known to tourists due to its geographical position - this is an absolutely inconvenient place for learning about the country. Within a radius of 300 kilometers, not a single more or less significant tourist site. Having crossed the border from Melilla to the Moroccan Beni Nzar adjacent to it, you will have about 6 hours of a boring train journey to Fez, bypassing an extremely monotonous, godforsaken, poor province. How do 99% of independent tourists travel in Morocco? That's right: we flew to Casablanca, or Agadir, rented a car and made a "lap of honor" in Marrakesh, or to Ouarzazate.

I arrived here in February 2011, by ferry from the Spanish Malaga, on which I told about swimming. This enclave is 5 km long and up to 3 km wide, it, like Ceuta, is surrounded by walls to protect against illegal immigrants. The Mediterranean coast of Morocco is the main source of illegality in the European Union. Hundreds of thousands of Africans right now are waiting in the wings to break through to prosperous Europe at any cost. It's not even about the inhabitants of Morocco, but about real Africans, from Senegal, Nigeria, Mali, Liberia. The Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, separated from Morocco by concrete walls with barbed wire, have become the most accessible "prey" for illegal immigrants. Still, breaking through the wall is easier than swimming across the Mediterranean. As far as one can judge from the number of Arabs and Negroes in Melilla, the Spaniards to some extent gave up on trying to 100% block the border. But they tripled the control for those who travel from Melilla to mainland Spain.

In fact, Schengen control is carried out not so much on the border of Melilla and Morocco as in the seaport of the town, or at the airport. With a high degree of probability, you can cross to Melilla on foot and the Spanish border guards will not even ask for your passport. But it is not recommended, in the absence of a Schengen visa, to try to depart from Melilla further to Europe. You can read more about the wall between Melilla and Morocco on Wikipedia. And the wall looks like this -

The town of Melilla itself is extremely interesting and I strongly advise you to visit it. This is the only place in Africa where you will find beautiful buildings of the late 19th century in the Art Nouveau style, you will see a huge sea fortress, the last monument in the world to the dictator Franco and numerous creations of the famous architect Enrique Nieto, who was a student of Gaudí. I have a separate report about Melilla, but for now only a couple of photos -

There are three ways to get to Melilla: by plane from Malaga and Madrid, by ferries from Malaga and Almeria, and by foot crossing in Morocco. Regarding aircraft, it should be noted that only Iberia flies there, issuing consistently high fares from 150 euros round-trip for a 45-minute flight. The Acciona ferry is much cheaper, from 35 euros one way, but it takes 7 hours from Malaga and 9 hours from Almeria. Well, the last option is by land from Morocco, but, as mentioned above, you will have to travel about 6 hours by train from Fez to the border with Melilla.

So you can visit the enclaves without a visa?

Friends, I immediately ask you not to take me at my word. I'm just talking about my personal experience. Can I promise that you will freely cross the border and no one will ask for your Schengen visa? No I can not. Nobody checked me, as well as many others. Apparently, they successfully passed face control. If you succeed, I will be grateful and will immediately supplement the report. I repeat for the third time that with a 100% guarantee I can promise that without a Schengen visa you will not be put on a ferry from the enclave to Spain, so keep this in mind.

Formally, the visa-free status of Melilla and Ceuta is reserved exclusively for residents of the Moroccan provinces of Tetouan and Nador; for other Moroccans, Schengen visas are issued in the usual manner. Indirectly, it turns out that citizens of other countries enter on grounds common to all of Spain. Link to the official source Eur-lex.europa.eu. Thank you colleague for the info. achpru .

Four Spanish fortresses

All of them are inaccessible to the public, moreover, some of them cannot be reached in principle, because they are located on islets a few kilometers from the coast. Needless to say, there is no passenger service between Morocco and these Spanish military bases. But at least one of the forts can be seen with your own eyes -

This is the fort of La Gomera, located about 50 km west of the Moroccan town of Al Husseima. I warn you right away that it is extremely difficult to get there without your own car. As an option - to agree with taxi drivers in Al Husseim for half a day, which will cost 50-100 euros, depending on your ability to bargain. You will not be allowed into the fort itself, and at the entrance to it you can meet the Moroccan police, who will ask where you are going.

Did you know?

That Spain has only two active land border crossings? Looking at the map, you can’t say this - the Schengen zone is all around in the form of Portugal and France. But in the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, the border is more than working. And there they put practically "collectible" stamps with a little car -

Ceuta- a Spanish enclave in Africa, an area of only 18.5 kilometers. Archaeological excavations show that already 250,000 years ago people lived here. But probably almost anywhere you can find that people were there 250,000 years ago. The main thing is to dig deep! :-) If we take a closer history, then the history of Ceuta is the history of the continuous conquests of this city by some kind of ruler. It is easier to list who did not encroach on this city - these are the Japanese, Chinese, Indians and Russia! :-) With such a turbulent military past in the city, several fortresses were built and even preserved, and some of which even escaped the fate of destruction by earthquakes or the next conquerors. :-)

Chefchaouen - Tetouan

After visiting the Chefchaouen medina at 10-00 we were already on our way to Tetouan.

Moroccan tangerines

We bought a tangerine on the way, that's where the New Year is! 6MAD per kilo.

Tetouan

The city of Tetuan is called white. For its color. We drove around it. From the description of the city for ourselves, we did not subtract anything interesting. We did not want to look at another medina, a mosque or the beautiful Avenue Mohammed V. And they admired the "white city" from afar.

Morocco-Spain border

Having driven 50 kilometers from the city of Tetouan, we came across a line at the Moroccan-Spain border. Nevertheless, we passed it relatively quickly, in 1 hour, despite the fact that 2 cars in the queue stalled and were rolled by hand. :) That greatly slowed down the flow of cars.

Morocco, line at the border with Spain

ceuta wall

A mesh and barbed wire wall was built along the entire border in 1993 to prevent uncontrolled migration and smuggling. I don’t know how it is in other places, but in the area of the checkpoint, where the wall goes up the mountain from the Moroccan side, there are quite a lot of people. There are quite a lot of soldiers on the Spanish side. Somewhere one military man every 20 meters. The military look towards the wall - they control that nothing is thrown or climbed. On New Year's Eve 2017, more than 1,000 Africans, probably not all of them with Moroccan citizenship, tried to break through the fence.

formalities

To pass the border it took:

Fill out exit cards that Moroccans give out and ask for money for them, although they are actually free. We gave 2 MAD.
Green paper for the car, which we were given at the entrance to Morocco.
Show passports 5 times.

Ceuta

Sights of Ceuta

As noted above, the city has a rich history.

Two sculptures of Hercules, located in different places. On one it connects Europe and Africa, on the other it pushes mountains apart.
Mediterranean Marine Park
Royal Square, where
- Church of San Francisco
- Bronze sculpture of a religious procession participant
- government house
- Fountain
- The symbolic arch, while away, remained from the military hospital
House of dragons. The building of the 20th century, on which 6 dragon sculptures were installed. After a decade and a half, the dragons were removed. And at the beginning of the 21st century they were returned, but only 4. We are waiting for these to be removed too! :-)
Africa Square
Castle of San Felipe
- Royal Canal of San Filipe, which separates the fortress of San Felipe from the city and the mainland, turning it into an island.
- Royal walls, these are the defensive structures of the fortress of Sao Filipe
Fortress on Mount Acho. The barracks are still located here. There is also an observatory right there.
Arab walls
Arab baths (monument)
Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

There are also many other different cathedrals and churches, mosques and casinos in the city.

Unfortunately, I was crazy about Morocco and, apparently, perceiving Ceuta as a continuation of this country, we drove past all these sights. In addition, we were in a hurry to get to the Spanish Ronda, which was scheduled for today. And the weather was cloudy. In general, everything turned out against our tour of this city! :-)

Ceuta is worth spending at least one day.

Ferry to Europe

After the border, following the signs, we reached the pier, about 2 kilometers, where a clever Spaniard stopped us at the entrance and showed us the office where we bought a ticket for the next ferry.

Pointer to the ferry to Europe. Ceuta, Spain, Africa

Prices

Lesha checked the prices for ferries yesterday on the Internet, but here on the spot it turned out to be 15 euros cheaper, 144 euros for 2 adult passengers and a car.

drugs

Standing in line for loading, we watched a picture of the detention of young guys who tried to smuggle drugs fixed inside the battery of their car. The dog found the drugs. And the police were not too lazy to break the battery with a sledgehammer to extract the contents.

Loading

The ferry left in an hour. We quietly checked in and loaded onto the ferry. During loading, the wheels are fixed with braces.

You can read more about the history of these enclaves on Wikipedia.
I first found myself in one of the enclaves, Ceuta, in February 2007, when I accidentally read about the strange history of these places. Being at that moment in the Moroccan town of Tetouan in the north of the country, I took a bus and in an hour drove to the border with this Spanish enclave. And I saw the border market chaos and walls around the perimeter -

I was not particularly worried about the border, fortunately, using dual citizenship, I entered Europe freely. Moroccans have one passport, Spaniards have another. Repeatedly worked out scheme.
If Tangier is the gateway to Morocco for Europeans of all stripes and needs, then Ceuta is the gateway to the world for Moroccan shoppers and rare backpackers. These gates are very different from each other both in appearance and in the contingent of those crossing these borders. Ceuta (in Arabic - Sebta) occupies only 18 square kilometers and includes a mountainous peninsula protruding into the sea, connected to the land by a narrow isthmus, where the city of Ceuta is actually located. The enclave is separated from Morocco by a fortified barrier line, which is clearly visible from some panoramic positions already inside the enclave. The border crossing is unique. First of all, do not take pictures on the territory of the terminals, be it Spanish or Moroccan. When I was detained, two Spanish girls who filmed the process of customs inspection of the car on a video camera. Their detention was not limited to verbal suggestion, but they were put into a gendarmerie car and taken away in the direction of Tetouan.
Enclave number one - Ceuta
Further. A group of local Moroccan hustlers (molesters), apparently not very tourist oriented, will try to sell you immigration cards to leave Morocco. This is offered to everyone in a row, but you should not listen to them - cards are issued completely free of charge at the passport control windows. Tourists stand in a separate queue from the Moroccans and very quickly, having received a stamp in exchange for a filled card, they follow to the Spanish terminal, which is about fifty meters away. And here, already on the Spanish side, I was struck by the ease with which crowds of people enter Europe. No one checked the documents of people entering Spain. I repeat - in general, no one checked my documents, as well as none of the Europeans who passed through this border crossing. I didn’t even take out my passport, but only walked in a crowd of Moroccans, and a minute later I ended up at a bus stop already on the territory of the enclave. Meanwhile, at the crossing, several dozen Spanish military men closely monitored those crossing the border, but only single blacks (obviously refugees) and some Moroccans with especially large trunks were weeded out. So I crossed the border. True, then he returned and asked me to put a stamp for the collection, which the Spaniards did. Needless to say, no one entered me into the database. They took the passport, slapped a stamp on the first page that came across.
There are two ways to get to Ceuta: by ferry from Spanish Algeciras (1.5 hours) and about 30 euros one way, or on foot from Morocco. There is no airport in the enclave. And remember that if you entered the enclave without a Schengen visa (which is quite realistic), then you still will not be put on a ferry to Spain - there is a full-fledged passport control in the port.
Ceuta is an extremely beautiful place, I spoke about it separately in a report,. Just a few of my photos from there for the "seed" -

Enclave number two - Melilla
Complementing what has already been said in the report Sailing from Spain to the Melilla enclave, this is the most remote enclave of Spain, located near the border between Morocco and Algeria. And the least known to tourists due to its geographical position - this is an absolutely inconvenient place for learning about the country. Within a radius of 300 kilometers, not a single more or less significant tourist site. Having crossed the border from Melilla to the Moroccan Beni Nzar adjacent to it, you will have about 6 hours of a boring train journey to Fez, bypassing an extremely monotonous, godforsaken, poor province. How do 99% of independent tourists travel in Morocco? That's right: we flew to Casablanca, or Agadir, rented a car and made a "lap of honor" in Marrakesh, or to Ouarzazate.
I arrived here in February 2011, by ferry from the Spanish Malaga, on which I told about swimming. This enclave is 5 km long and up to 3 km wide, it, like Ceuta, is surrounded by walls to protect against illegal immigrants. The Mediterranean coast of Morocco is the main source of illegality in the European Union. Hundreds of thousands of Africans right now are waiting in the wings to break through to prosperous Europe at any cost. It's not even about the inhabitants of Morocco, but about real Africans, from Senegal, Nigeria, Mali, Liberia. The Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, separated from Morocco by concrete walls with barbed wire, have become the most accessible "prey" for illegal immigrants. Still, breaking through the wall is easier than swimming across the Mediterranean. As far as one can judge from the number of Arabs and Negroes in Melilla, the Spaniards to some extent gave up on trying to 100% block the border. But they tripled the control for those who travel from Melilla to mainland Spain.

In fact, Schengen control is carried out not so much on the border of Melilla and Morocco as in the seaport of the town, or at the airport. With a high degree of probability, you can cross to Melilla on foot and the Spanish border guards will not even ask for your passport. But it is not recommended, in the absence of a Schengen visa, to try to depart from Melilla further to Europe. You can read more about the wall between Melilla and Morocco on Wikipedia. And the wall looks like this -

The town of Melilla itself is extremely interesting and I strongly advise you to visit it. This is the only place in Africa where you will find beautiful buildings of the late 19th century in the Art Nouveau style, you will see a huge sea fortress, the last monument in the world to the dictator Franco and numerous creations of the famous architect Enrique Nieto, who was a student of Gaudí. I have a separate report about Melilla, but for now only a couple of photos -

There are three ways to get to Melilla: by plane from Malaga and Madrid, by ferries from Malaga and Almeria, and by foot crossing in Morocco. Regarding aircraft, it should be noted that only Iberia flies there, issuing consistently high fares from 150 euros round-trip for a 45-minute flight. The Acciona ferry is much cheaper, from 35 euros one way, but it takes 7 hours from Malaga and 9 hours from Almeria. Well, the last option is by land from Morocco, but, as mentioned above, you will have to travel about 6 hours by train from Fez to the border with Melilla.
So you can visit the enclaves without a visa?
Friends, I immediately ask you not to take me at my word. I'm just talking about my personal experience. Can I promise that you will freely cross the border and no one will ask for your Schengen visa? No I can not. Nobody checked me, as well as many others. Apparently, they successfully passed face control. If you succeed, I will be grateful and will immediately supplement the report. I repeat for the third time that with a 100% guarantee I can promise that without a Schengen visa you will not be put on a ferry from the enclave to Spain, so keep this in mind.
Formally, the visa-free status of Melilla and Ceuta is reserved exclusively for residents of the Moroccan provinces of Tetouan and Nador; for other Moroccans, Schengen visas are issued in the usual manner. Indirectly, it turns out that citizens of other countries enter on grounds common to all of Spain. Link to official source

Today we will talk about the border between the Spanish colony of Ceuta and Morocco. I must say right away that in the political and demographic contexts, everything here is very bad for the Spaniards. A small (less than 18 sq. km) fragment of the once mighty Spanish monarchy, appendixed to the coast of Morocco, the latter having very specific ambitions for Ceuta and the second Spanish city in Africa, Melilla, which is 300 kilometers to the east. The Spaniards first settled in these places along with the Portuguese in 1415, capturing Ceuta from the Muslims. Thus, the Spaniards have controlled Ceuta for exactly 600 years, and for them the retention of this and four other micro-colonies on the coast of Morocco is an extremely emotional and patriotic issue. But fate cannot be escaped, and today Ceuta, as well as Melilla, have become for Spain a headache and a bottomless barrel for multi-billion dollar subsidies. There is no industry or tourism here. But the most important thing is that every year there are fewer and fewer Spaniards in the colonies, and more and more Moroccans. In recent years, the number of refugees from black Africa has been growing rapidly, almost daily storming the concrete fences surrounding Ceuta and Melilla. Today, only 45% of Spaniards live in Ceuta, which is 90,000, about the same number of Moroccans (most of them have Spanish passports) and one in ten is an African refugee, the exact number of which no one knows. Purely visually, there are a lot of Africans both in the historical center and in the border crossing area.

Obviously, in the near future, Spain will lose both Ceuta and Melilla (by the way, Melilla is absolutely amazing!) And Morocco will get back what it lost 600 years ago. For what cannot be taken by war can be mastered by demography.

Map of Ceuta for a general idea of the city and its position -

Ceuta itself is quite interesting, there are 3 fortresses and a small old town with several churches, parks and simply colorful streets with many restaurants and cafes. We will talk about this in the next article -

Let's get back to the border topic. From the passenger port of Ceuta to the border with Morocco, 3.6 kilometers on Google Maps. You can take bus number 7, or you can walk along the coast, which will take about forty minutes at most. Actually, the view from the center of Ceuta to the border with Morocco, it can be seen at the end of the cape on the right -

The old part of the city is very small and then more than boring sleeping areas immediately begin, where Moroccans live with African refugees -

Do you think that Morocco is already in the photo below? Nothing of the kind, this is also Ceuta, but as you guessed right, these are the very disadvantaged areas with an ambiguous population. I can only add that in 2007, when I crossed the border here, there were much fewer such chaotic buildings -

Jail for African illegal immigrants climbing over the fence -

Yes, yes, this is all Spain, we have not reached Morocco yet -

And here comes the border crossing, below. The one closer to us (black) is still Spain, and the big white terminal further down the coast is already Morocco -

The same 7th bus that runs between the center and the border -

Border between Ceuta and Morocco. Interestingly, this fence is Spanish, and then you can see Moroccan. Between them is a neutral strip three hundred meters wide -

At first, I went the wrong way, poking at the exit for those who arrived from Morocco -

Now it's a different matter, I'm walking along the path for those leaving Spain -

The fences around are getting higher, Morocco is getting closer, and there is no exit Spanish passport control. It's strange, in 2007 there was a booth here and the Spaniards stamped passports -

Then the metal fence ends abruptly and a white-painted concrete fence begins. This is Morocco, and Spain is left behind. Unlike the Spaniards who are loyal to photography, on the Moroccan side they immediately shouted “no photo!”, So this will be the last photo from the border. Unless I add that in the photo on the right side, a person is visible right behind the gate. So here he is standing near the Moroccan passport control booth. That's where I went, too.

This is already after the border, having moved about two hundred meters from the zone where the mere sight of the camera caused immense excitement of the Moroccan police and military. I'm not kidding, they almost took the camera away. And even here, among ordinary taxi drivers, they began to swear at the sight of the camera. But these I sent to such and such a mother. One way or another, but it is here that you will look for transport further in Morocco. The easiest and cheapest way is to go to Tetouan (about 30 kilometers) and there transfer to the bus you need to any part of the country. All these taxis are minibuses, they depart as they fill up with passengers. The fare to Mfidek (5 km from the border) is 10 dirhams (a little less than 1 euro), to Tetouan 20 dirhams.

I thought that Ceuta (as well as Melilla) are great places where you can make a visa run for those living in Europe illegally. I mean visa-free non-Europeans and those who have multiple and long-term Schengen. There is no passport control at the exit, so the Spaniards do not know exactly when you left the Schengen zone. Then you go to Tangier or Casablanca and fly from there to anywhere in Europe. I will tell you more - you can not only leave Ceuta without checking, but even drive in the opposite direction without taking your passport out of your pocket. From the Spanish side there will be something like face control, and if you have a European appearance, then you will pass without a check at all. Another thing is that the check will be at the port of Ceuta and without an entry stamp (or, if you are an EU citizen, without an ID-card), you will most likely simply not be put on the ferry and sent back to the border to put an entry stamp.

So, on September 17, I flew to Barcelona and I was stamped with an entry stamp, and on September 21 I was already in Morocco, while my departure from the Schengen was not recorded. Just an observation. By the way, I am writing these lines somewhat after the fact, and at the moment I am in Madrid, where I arrived today from Morocco. So, the Spaniards didn’t give me an entry stamp at all, and they didn’t put my passport into the database; they took it, leafed through it and returned it back. I remember the idiotic Latvian border guards at the Riga airport, literally under a magnifying glass studying the passports of tourists and trying to count the days of stay in the Schengen, see "

Spain, like most other European states, owned colonies in North Africa. Under its jurisdiction was a significant part of Morocco, then called Northern (or Spanish) Morocco, in addition, Spanish power extended to two enclaves: Ceuta and Melilla - and a group of islands off the coast of Morocco. In 1958, Morocco became an independent state, and 1960 was proclaimed the Year of Africa in honor of the adoption of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples: the countries of Africa received sovereignty, and territories that once belonged to them were transferred under their control.
Morocco puts forward demands for the annexation of the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, which are enclaves of Spain and are under its sovereignty, arguing that these territories were part of a protectorate, therefore, in accordance with international law, they should be transferred under the sovereignty of Morocco as former colonial possessions . Morocco takes the same position with regard to the islands located near the Moroccan coast. Moroccan Foreign and Commonwealth Minister Mohamed Benaisse stated at the 56th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly that "the fact that Spain continues to occupy the two Moroccan cities of Ceuta and Melilla, as well as the islands located off the coast of Morocco, is not far away from these cities is pure anarchism and goes against the values and principles that the international community stands for.”
In 1995, due to the violation of the rules of fishing by Moroccan sailors, relations around the disputed territories escalated. The Moroccan authorities hoped that the visit of the new ruler Mohamed IV to Spain in 2000 to discuss the problems of fishing, drug trafficking and illegal emigration would improve Spanish-Moroccan relations. Unfortunately, this did not happen: in April 2001, after long negotiations, Morocco was unable to renew the fisheries agreement with the European Union, in particular because it insisted on reducing the number of European fishing vessels, primarily Spanish ones, that have the right to fish in Moroccan waters, and for the depletion of Moroccan resources by fishermen from Europe, Rabat demanded compensation of 21 billion pesetas (about 125 million euros).

One of the reasons for the conflicts is the research of the North American firm Conoco. Having received a license from the Moroccan government to conduct exploration, the firm said that there may be oil deposits in the water area that separates northern Africa and southern Spain. A little later, calculations were made. The probability of finding hydrocarbons in the Western Sahara region and in the water area between Spain and Morocco was 25%. Another stumbling block in the dialogue between Madrid and Rabat is the difficult situation in Western Sahara, a former protectorate of Spain. Morocco seized this territory by force, Spain, in turn, supports the national liberation movement - the Polisario Front. In addition, in the UN, Spain defends the idea of holding a referendum in Western Sahara on its independence.
The territorial claims of Morocco to Spain, which determine one of the main directions of foreign policy, the tough position of the Spanish government on the independence of Western Sahara, economic disputes have led to a significant deterioration in relations between the countries.
The result of the growing tension was a small armed clash on the "goat island" Perejil in the summer of 2002. The island is one of the disputed territories between Spain and Morocco, in Morocco it is called Leila. The island is located off the coast of Morocco and officially belongs to the municipal possessions of the Spanish enclave city of Ceuta. It is separated from the African continent by a small strait, no more than 200 meters wide. Perejil has a triangular shape, rocky terrain and cannot accommodate more than 200 people.

On July 11, at a press conference, the Spanish government explained what was happening: Morocco captured the island of Perejil, in addition, ships of the Moroccan patrol were seen off the Chafarinas islands, in particular off the coast of Isla del Rey. In the south of Spain, troops were mobilized to protect the sovereignty of the country in response to the invasion Spain handed a note verbale to the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco in Madrid demanding to clarify the situation.
In connection with the crisis, the question arose again about the ownership of the island of Perejil. Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy declined to answer a reporter's question about who owns the island. He only stated that “the status of this island was approved by both the Moroccan authorities and the Spanish government” and the invasion of the Moroccan military undoubtedly violated the status quo of the island of Perejil.
Negotiations between the Spanish and Moroccan governments began with the aim of a peaceful settlement of the crisis that had arisen. The countries of the European Union and NATO joined the negotiations, they believed that Morocco needed to restore the status quo. Romano Prodi, President of the European Union Commission, called on Rabat to find a solution to the crisis as soon as possible. The United States of America actively acted as a mediator. On July 11, Moroccan Prime Minister Abderrahman Yousufi issued a statement that the island of Perejil is not and never has been under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Spain. Since the 1912 treaty on the division of spheres of influence in Morocco between France and Spain did not indicate the ownership of Perejil Island (this territory is not mentioned), Morocco retained its sovereign rights to the island. Pere-hil is located in the territorial waters of Morocco, the status of the island is not enshrined in any of the official documents signed by Spain and Morocco, according to international law, this territory is the state territory of the Kingdom of Morocco.
On July 15, the Moroccan government evacuated the gendarmes from the island and were replaced by a dozen Moroccan navy cadets. In response, Spain recalled the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Spain to the Kingdom of Morocco. At half past five in the morning on July 17, the Spanish ambassador to Morocco, Fernando Arias Salgado, left Rabat. At 6 o'clock. 15 minutes. On July 17, 28 Spanish Special Forces soldiers, armed with G-36 assault rifles, landed on the island, at 0600 hours. 17 min. without firing a shot, seven Moroccan soldiers were captured.
The military operation Romeo-Sierra ("Recuperar Soberania" - "Restoration of sovereignty") was successfully completed. By seven o'clock in the morning the largest airports in Melilla and Jerez were closed. A third of the soldiers of the Foreign Legion of Ceuta of the third Count of Alba (75 people) occupied the island of Perejil. The forces of the Civil Guard concentrated on the borders of the enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta. At the same time, Spanish destroyers patrolled along the coast of the island.

The countries of the European Union unconditionally supported Spain in this conflict, recognizing its sovereign rights to the occupied island. US Secretary of State Colin Powell greatly facilitated the dialogue between Spain and Morocco, urging both countries to withdraw their military forces from the island and return to the status that the island had before July 11, 2002. The Moroccan government received diplomatic support from member countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. In a joint statement, they expressed their regret that events in and around the island had taken such a turn and rejected the method adopted by the Spanish authorities.
As a result of negotiations between the Spanish and Moroccan governments, a peace treaty was concluded on July 22, according to which the status quo of the island of Perejil was restored. The Spanish troops were withdrawn. At the peace conference, Spanish Foreign Ministers Ana de Palacio and Morocco Mohammed Benaysa agreed to hold a series of meetings.
Although the Perehil crisis did not have significant international consequences, its role in resolving the territorial dispute between Spain and Morocco is very important. It should be noted that the Spanish General Staff seriously considered only Morocco as a potential enemy of Spain. Analysts assess this conflict as a test of Morocco's strength in the struggle for territories to which this country wants to extend its sovereignty. At the same time, Spain, as a member of NATO, also carried out a military operation, which can be seen as a test of the strength of NATO troops after the events in Kosovo and Afghanistan. The conflict showed the disunity of the Arab world, which became one of the reasons for the subsequent war in Afghanistan. However, the support of the countries of the European Union and the United States guarantees the stability of the situation and the prevention of full-scale military operations in this region.