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Denver – A recent Spanish government report has revealed that Spain’s arms exports to Morocco totalled 12.5 million Euros in 2020.
The equipment was bought by the Moroccan Armed Forces, and purchases included grenades, explosives, as well as various spare parts. Spanish arms sales to Morocco between 2016 and 2019 totalled about 80 million Euros, according to the report.
Moroccan military expenditure has continued to significantly rise over the past decade. According to data from the World Bank, the country’s military spending was valued at approximately $4.8 billion in 2020. This represents a nearly 55% increase from its spending in 2011. Morocco still continues to utilize the US as its main arms supplier, with over 91% of its arms originating from US manufacturers.
Although Spain’s main clientele usually consists of other EU and NATO members, it also sells military equipment to many in the MENA region. Spanish military exports to Saudi Arabia doubled from 2019 to 2020, reaching a total of 48.3 million Euros.
These sales have continued to draw criticism and accusations of humanitarian violations from activist groups, due to Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the war in Yemen.
Besides Morocco and Saudi Arabia, Spain has also exported military equipment to other countries in the MENA region, including: Algeria, the UAE, Israel, and Iraq. Spain is currently the world’s seventh-largest arms exporter, with about 3.2% of the global market share.
