Sabta, Malila: A sore problem in Spanish - Moroccan relations
Morocco-Spain, Politics, 10/8/2005

The many sneaking operations carried by African expatriates, coming from the countries of southern Sahara, at the fence of the two cities of Sabta and Malila north of Morocco, shed lights on the two last European colonies on the African soil, considered as a Spanish problem in relations with Morocco, since the occupation of the two cities since more than 600 years.

The pocket of Sabta and Malila is considered the only land border between Africa and Europe and they are the best points favored by illegal African emigrants who seek to infiltrate into the "European paradise."

Morocco seeks sovereignty over these two ports which it considered as two "fortresses" on the Mediterranean. They have their resources from a prosperous trade with Africa. Spain occupied Sabta since 1580 and Malila since 1496. Spain occupied the two cities as advanced positions after the Catholic Kings restored the Spanish lands from Andalus's Muslim kings.

Sabta has 74, 000 inhabitants and is of an area less than 20 square kilometers. It is 50 km from Tanjier to the east.

It was a Roman colony earlier before it was taken over by Portugal from the Arabs in 1415 and remained under the Spanish control in 1580.

Because Sabta is the key leading to Gibraltar passage from the African side, 60% of its area is allocated for military installations. Its economy is basically depent on its port and the free zone, where more than 10,000 ships anchor annually and the tourists who visit it to buy cheap electronics. However, the number of tourists decreased after the opening of a free zone area in Jabal Tareq.

Malila which is a 512 square km area and is 150 km from the border with Algeria has a population of 70,000 ethnic citizens. Some 40% of them are Muslims and the others are Jews and Christians, added to them are 30,000 Moroccans who enter daily to work, trade or shop. Large operations of goods smuggling to Morocco and from there to African countries are made. Malila is considered a former Roman and Carthage trade colony where the Spanish settled in 1496. As from this pocket, European products are sold in the adjoining area and much of it arrived as far as Senegal.

What is odd about the two cities Sabta and Malila is that one is only 30 km from the Spanish coast, while the other is at a distance of 500 km from the Spanish coasts.

Emigrants try on daily basis to cross the border which separates between Malila and Morocco which is 12 km length, the last of which was on Thursday at dawn resulted in killing six persons and injuring other 30 in stampede and gunfire, or the 8 km which separates Sabta from Morocco, hiding in cars or swimming or by jumping over the border fence by using ladders.

Morocco ever demands the restoration of sovereignty over Sabta and Malila. However, Spain refuses this matter under the allegation that it had occupied the two cities which enjoy self-rule since hundreds of years before Morocco had received independence. The former Spanish primer minister Anna Palacio threatened saying that "Sabta and Malila are an integrated part of Spain and consequently to the European Union," in what can be considered as an implicit threat on the possibility of the interference of the European Union if Morocco tries to restore back the two cities.

Madrid indicates also that citizens in the two cities became Spanish, the same as the people of Madrid and Barcelona, and do not want to return back to the Moroccan sovereignty. The chairman of the studies center in Malila, Size Kazorla, speaks about the poverty and absence of human rights in Morocco as among the main reasons for the rejection of citizens in the two areas to return back to the Moroccan sovereignty, while one young lady in Malila considers that what links her to Morocco is the Islamic religion.

Moreover, the problem between Spain and Morocco does not end at the limit of Madrid's occupation of the two said pockets. There are also Badid island which Spain occupied in 1848, and al-Nokour islands occupied since 1637 and Malweya occupied since 1848 and al-Ghammarin occupied island.

Previous Stories:
  Moroccan- Spanish summit   (9/30/2005)
  Morocco does not welcome hostile persons, PM   (7/2/2005)
  Spain underlines need for 'urgent' solution to Sahara issue   (7/1/2005)

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