The land borders between Morocco and Spain’s North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla will reopen next week, Spain said, after being closed for more than two years due to COVID-19 restrictions and tensions between the two countries.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said the reopening will start gradually from May 17.
Crossings will be initially limited to residents of Europe’s passport-free Schengen area and their family members, and will be expanded to cross-border workers by the end of the month. The local economies on both sides of the fences that slice off the tiny Spanish enclaves from Morocco depend on the crossings of goods and workers.
The new announcement came as Madrid and Rabat are working to mend relations after a months-long spat centered on the disputed region of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony annexed by Morocco in 1976. Tensions began to thaw earlier this year after Spain backed Morocco’s plan to grant more autonomy to Western Sahara.
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