Spain Supplies Morocco with 188 Border Surveillance Systems

Beni Mellal – The Spanish government has provided Morocco with a substantial number of advanced border control systems in recent years to enhance security along their shared frontier, according to information obtained by the Spanish news outlet Vozpópuli.

The supplied equipment, which includes thermal cameras and night vision devices, significantly outpaces the resources allocated to Spain’s own National Police and Civil Guard units operating in the country’s southern regions.

Vozpópuli reports that Spain has delivered 65 thermal cameras with positioners, 98 portable thermal camera-viewers, 25 night vision scopes, and various nautical telecommunications equipment to Morocco as part of the EU-funded program “Support for Border Management and Migration in Morocco.”

These 188 systems are intended to bolster the capabilities of Moroccan authorities stationed along the land and sea borders with Spain.

In contrast, data provided by the Spanish government in response to a parliamentary inquiry reveals that since 2019, only 37 units of similar equipment have been acquired for the National Police and Civil Guard units located in southern Spain.

The majority of these purchases were made using funds from the Regional Center for Analysis and Intelligence against Drug Trafficking (CRAIN) or through EMPACT (European Multidisciplinary Platform against Criminal Threats -Europol-) credits, with costs not specified for most items.

The distribution of resources has drawn criticism from the Unified Association of Civil Guards (AUGC), who have expressed concern over the apparent disparity in the allocation of equipment between Moroccan and Spanish security forces.

The AUGC has questioned the Interior Ministry’s treatment of Spain’s own security forces, highlighting ongoing shortages of personnel, vehicles, and technical materials needed to combat immigration and drug trafficking.

While the Spanish government has invested in border surveillance systems for its own security forces, such as the €1.86 million integrated border surveillance system installed in the Civil Guard Command of Melilla, the scale of support provided to Morocco has raised eyebrows.

As Spain continues to grapple with the challenges posed by irregular migration and narcotics smuggling along its southern borders, the debate over the appropriate allocation of resources between domestic and foreign security initiatives is likely to persist.