Morocco urges Spain to return unaccompanied minors from Ceuta

Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi has called for the return of all Moroccan minors currently in Spain, including those who arrived in Ceuta during the latest wave of crossings. His remarks came as the president of Melilla, Juan José Imbroda, urged the Spanish government to open talks with Morocco to update the agreement on the return of unaccompanied minors.

Ouahbi said, in a press statement, that Rabat would seek to bring back these minors through legal and political channels, holding the Spanish authorities responsible for their fate and the conditions in which they are living away from their families and homeland.

The justice minister stressed that Morocco is not prepared to abandon its children and teenagers, arguing that their return to their families is the option that best serves their interests and future. He also said the level of relations and cooperation between Rabat and Madrid makes it possible to reach a swift solution to the issue while preserving the partnership between the two countries.

For his part, Imbroda called on the Spanish government to sit down with Morocco and renegotiate the agreement on the return of unaccompanied foreign minors, signed in 2013, which he said has never been implemented since it was concluded.

In an interview with Cadena COPE, the president of Melilla claimed that Morocco had not taken back its minors since the agreement was signed, despite being provided, he said, with their names, family details, and locations. He urged Madrid to deal «firmly» with Rabat on this file, as well as on other issues, including the commercial customs crossing that has been closed since August 1, 2018.

Imbroda, a member of the People’s Party, accused Morocco of exerting economic and social pressure on Ceuta and Melilla. He also criticized Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s policy toward Rabat, which he described as offering concessions without receiving anything in return.

The renewed debate over the return of minors follows the latest mass crossing into Ceuta, during which around 80,000 people arrived, including 1,400 unaccompanied minors.