Spain rejects Morocco's latest push on Ceuta and Melilla
Spain has firmly rejected renewed Moroccan assertions of sovereignty over the North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, following a week in which two Moroccan ministers made statements widely seen as reviving the kingdom's long-standing territorial claims.
On Friday, Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi defended his country's "historical and geographical" rights over the two autonomous cities and proposed setting up a mechanism for dialogue with Spain to address their future. In an interview with the public television channel "2M", Ouahbi said Rabat had no intention of abandoning its claims and argued the issue should remain part of bilateral relations. He suggested creating a bilateral mechanism to discuss the cities' future and seek what he described as a "definitive solution" — one that, under his proposal, would end with the integration of Ceuta and Melilla into Morocco.
Spain's government was quick to respond. Sources at the Foreign Ministry said Madrid had conveyed its "categorical rejection" of the claims and reiterated that Ceuta and Melilla form part of Spain's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and therefore of the territory of the European Union.
Claims made before the king
Days earlier, at a religious ceremony in the Royal Palace in Rabat, Morocco's Minister of Islamic Affairs, Ahmed Toufiq, made remarks in the presence of King Mohammed VI, Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch and senior state officials. During the Eid al Mawlid celebrations, marking the birth of the Prophet Mohammed, Toufiq referenced two Islamic scholars born in Ceuta before the city came under Spanish sovereignty in 1580, and spoke of religious works that, according to Moroccan tradition, became symbols of the struggle to liberate "occupied cities" on Morocco's Atlantic coast.
These comments have been widely interpreted as reviving Morocco's long-standing claims over Ceuta and Melilla. The setting gave the remarks added weight: this was not an interview or an isolated political comment, but a speech delivered before the monarch, the heir to the throne and senior political and military figures during one of the country's most important religious ceremonies. Spanish media and analysts interpreted the references as an indirect claim over the two cities, prompting fresh debate in Spain over whether Morocco is increasing pressure through historical, religious and political messaging.
The timing is significant. The remarks came less than a month after the mass entry into Ceuta at the end of July, when more than 70,000 people crossed into the city from Morocco, overwhelming local services and triggering a political crisis in Spain. They also came only days after Justice Minister Ouahbi's own references to Morocco's "historical and geographical rights" over Ceuta and Melilla.
A long-standing dispute
Morocco's territorial claims over Ceuta and Melilla are not new. Rabat has maintained them since its independence in 1956, while Spain has repeatedly rejected any challenge to its sovereignty. Earlier this month, on 12 August, Ouahbi had already stated that Morocco continued to claim both cities and that the issue remained "on the table" in his contacts with Spain.
The Spanish government has rejected the recent Moroccan claims "categorically" through diplomatic channels, according to Foreign Ministry sources, reaffirming its position that the enclaves are integral parts of Spanish and EU territory. The latest exchanges come amid heightened tensions following the migration crisis in Ceuta, which left dozens dead and strained relations between Madrid and Rabat.