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What is special about the cities Ceuta and Melilla?
For centuries, Ceuta and Melilla were vital port cities, offering protection for Spanish ships and acting as trading posts between Europe and Africa. In the 1930s, Spanish troops garrisoned in the two cities played a major role in future dictator Francisco Franco’s uprising against their government.
Why does Spain have Ceuta and Melilla?
The tiny Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla sit on the northern shores of Morocco’s Mediterranean coast. Together they form the European Union’s only land borders with Africa. Madrid asserts that both territories are integral parts of Spain and have the same status as the semi-autonomous regions on its mainland.
What agreement do Spain and Morocco have?
Morocco and Spain signed an agreement three decades ago to expel all those who swim across the border. Yet many arriving Tuesday were sub-Saharan Africans who often migrate to flee poverty or violence at home. Spain has agreements to return some of those migrants to their native countries, but not all of them.
Why does Melilla belong to Spain?
Melilla was the first Spanish town to rise against the Popular Front government in July 1936, thus helping precipitate the Spanish Civil War. Melilla was retained by Spain as an exclave when Morocco attained independence in 1956.
Is Ceuta border open?
The border closure is now set to remain in place until November 30 and is extendable. The Tarajal border in Ceuta and the Beni Enzar border in Melilla have been shut since March 2020, when the Government of Spain declared a state of alarm. The same have not reopened since then, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
How did Spain get Ceuta?
Ceuta and Melilla are two of the most important Spanish-controlled enclaves in Northern Morocco following the end of “Reconquista”. Melilla was the first to fall under Spanish rule in 1497, and Ceuta, which had been seized by Portugal in 1415, was transferred to Spain under the Treaty of Lisbon in 1668.
Does Morocco claim Ceuta?
Abstract. Ceuta, Melilla, Vélez de la Gomera, Alhucemas and the Chafarinas Islands are Spanish territories that lie along Morocco’s northern coastline. Morocco has claimed the territories since its independence in 1956. Morocco’s claim to Ceuta and Melilla is found to be weak.
Are Ceuta and Melilla Moroccan or Spanish?
Even the Arabic Wikipedia describes the two cities as Moroccan under Spanish control. However, although Morocco went to war to capture Western Sahara after the Spanish evacuated the territory in 1975, its pursuit to regain control of Ceuta and Melilla has been lukewarm at best.
Why didn’t Spain include Ceuta and Melilla in the handover?
When Morocco gained independence in 1956, following more than four decades of rule by Spain and France, Spain refused to include Ceuta and Melilla in the handover. Madrid asserts that both territories are integral parts of Spain and have the same status as the semi-autonomous districts on its mainland, such as the Basque and Catalan regions. Open.
What is the history of the Spanish protectorate in Morocco?
(April 2017) The Spanish protectorate in Morocco was established on 27 November 1912 by a treaty between France and Spain that converted the Spanish sphere of influence in Morocco into a formal protectorate.
How did Morocco gain control of Ifni from Spain?
Morocco and Spain negotiated for over a year over Ifni, with Morocco also wanting control of Ceuta and Melilla, while Spain was only willing to give up control of Ifni. On January 5, 1969, after 108 years of Spanish control of Ifni, Morocco and Spain signed the treaty ceding Ifni to Morocco.