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Rabat – The Spanish Council of Ministers approved today the granting of 30 million to assist Morocco in its efforts to curb irregular migration, according to El Pais.
The approval of the financial aid comes in the wake of the sudden arrival of more than 6,000 irregular migrants in Ceuta from Northern Morocco. The dove of irregular migrants crossed to the Spanish enclave amid an ongoing diplomatic rift between Morocco and Spain.
El Pais reported that the financial aid was already considered when determining state budgets, adding that the approval date was already set up last week before yesterday’s migration incident.
The Spanish news outlet said that Morocco will use the financial aid to fund the deployment of regular patrols, maritime border surveillance, and the repair and maintenance of surveillance equipment.
El Pais, however, criticized Morocco for constantly requesting funds to maintain its border security services and mentioned Algeria’s unconditional cooperation in the field of curbing irregular migration.
Such positive comments on Algeria-Spain ties come amid developments suggesting channels of secret cooperation between Algiers and Madrid.
Last month, Moroccan intelligence established that Brahim Ghali, the leader of the Polisario Front, had traveled to Spain for medical treatment. Spain and Algeria managed to transport Ghali in an Algerian plane to Madrid under a false identity for alleged medical purposes, reports later established.
The incident further deteriorated the already tense Morocco-Spain relationship, with Rabat expressing its dismay with Spain for opening its doors to the main challenger of Morocco’s territorial integrity.
In an interview with EFE, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, said that Spain’s attitude towards Morocco raises serious questions about its commitment to their long-standing bilateral ties.
Morocco’s role in EU migration management
Morocco’s efforts in curbing irregular migration to European countries, especially Spain, led to a decrease of 13% of irregular migrants’ arrival to the north Mediterranean country in 2020. According to data from Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Spain recorded 17,000 arrivals in the past year, a 28% decrease compared to 2019.
Morocco’s success in dismantling irregular migration networks and the security cooperation and information exchange between Morocco and Spain is the reason behind the significant drop in successful irregular migration attempts in Spain.
Despite its considerable efforts on the migration management front, Morocco remains under growing migratory pressure as a transit country with thousands of sub-Saharan migrants trying to reach Europe.
And while the North African country has traditionally cooperated with Spain to curb irregular migration to the EU, Rabat’s position has slightly evolved in recent years. In his most recent comments on EU-Morocco cooperation, Nasser Bourita has repeatedly made it clear that Morocco will not act as Europe’s migration watchdog.
“Rabat refuses to be the gendarme of the EU on migration issues,” Bourita said in the EFE interview. He argued that migration needs global cooperation to set up strategies and should not be limited to the exchange of money.
Bourita was even more scathingly critical of what he described as Spain’s tendency to only value Morocco when it comes to Rabat’s role in migration management and security.
“When it comes to plotting with Algeria and the Polisario, Morocco leaves Spain’s radar, but when it comes to migration or terrorism, we become important again,” he said.
