Beyond Europe’s fence: Ceuta, Melilla, and unfinished decolonization

The dispute over the North African cities remains a painful colonial legacy, born from an era when European powers decided the fate of entire peoples Amid the migration crisis in Ceuta that erupted in late July, the dispute between Rabat and Madrid over two Spanish semi-exclaves on Africa’s Mediterranean coast once again came to the forefront.

Spain called the mass border crossing by over 70,000 illegal migrants a violation of its territorial integrity.

For its part, Morocco, which does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla or the small adjacent uninhabited islands, once again raised the issue of their “occupation” by Spain and asserted its own historical right to them.

The dispute has a long history.

Ceuta and Melilla did not become Spanish territories because they had once belonged to Spain; neither did Morocco’s borders as we know them today exist in the 15th century.

Rather, Ceuta and Melilla came under the control of Spain as a result of the later Crusaders’ expansion in the Mediterranean and the early modern-period wars, events that later gave rise to European colonialism.

Read more Energy corridors to Europe: Former colonies are taking the valve The standoff between Rabat and Madrid Since Morocco gained independence in 1956, Rabat has regularly raised the question of the status of the enclaves, seeking to have them brought back under its own control by means of dialogue.

In 1975, Rabat unsuccessfully attempted to bring the matter before the UN; in 1987, King Hassan II officially proposed establishing a joint “célula de reflexión,” reflection cell, with Spain to negotiate the future status and eventual handover of the two cities.

Unsurprisingly, Spain rejected this proposal.

In the early 2000s, diplomatic demands even escalated into a brief military standoff.

On July 11, 2002, a Spanish Civil Guard patrol boat discovered a Moroccan flag and a group of gendarmes on Perejil, a tiny islet located near Ceuta which is also claimed by Rabat.

After Morocco rejected Madrid’s demand to immediately remove both the flag and the armed personnel from the island, Spanish special forces landed there by helicopter on July 17.

The Moroccan troops were disarmed without a shot being fired and were subsequently returned to their country, restoring the status quo.

In 2007, Morocco officially recalled its ambassador for consultations following a historic state visit by Spain’s King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sophia to both enclaves.