Morocco evaluates breaking the extradition agreement with Spain and demands the return of the minors from Ceuta "as soon as possible"

The Minister of Justice of Morocco, Abdellatif Ouahbi, has granted ‘EFE’ an interview in which he has asserted that the Moroccan Government is evaluating the suspension of the application of the extradition agreement it maintains with Spain. “We are now debating in the Ministry of Justice the possibility of suspending the application of the extradition agreement between Morocco and Spain,” Ouahbi told the Spanish news agency.

The minister explained, despite not having presented a specific case, that there have been situations in which when his country has requested Spain to hand over a person, the handover has sometimes not taken place. In this regard, he continued urging Spain to treat extradition procedures "with seriousness". "We cannot send our agents to receive the people whose handover is requested and then it does not happen with the argument that they did not show up at the scheduled time for the plane's departure from the airport," he stated.

In his conversation with the aforementioned media, regarding repatriation procedures, he warned: "If Spain does not want to respect the handover procedures or the repatriation procedures, we can suspend these agreements."

Morocco urges Spain to "assume responsibilities"

This Wednesday, Morocco announced that it has intensified its security measures in response to calls circulated on social media to attempt to enter Ceuta irregularly on August 15. Likewise, in the same statement, it demanded that Spain return unaccompanied Moroccan minors remaining in Ceuta. Moroccan authorities ask to overcome the "administrative and judicial obstacles" that, according to their version, make it difficult for these minors to return to their families "as soon as possible."

Along the same lines, the Moroccan Ministry of Interior also demands that Spain "assume its responsibilities" and argues that both countries must "fulfill their commitments, within the framework of shared responsibility." Thus, Moroccan authorities assure that they will also act against those behind these calls. The Government states that it has prepared "all necessary measures to deal with any attempt at illegal crossing and to intercept anyone who tries to participate in it," including "the promoters of such calls on social media." It also warns that legal action will be taken against those who violate the law.

Rabat maintains that this deployment is not exclusively in response to the call scheduled for August 15. According to the Ministry, the police presence in the vicinity of Ceuta and Melilla responds to "a continuous surveillance system, particularly in areas close to the border crossings of Ceuta and Melilla." Finally, the Moroccan Executive has addressed a message to its citizens to "show vigilance and a spirit of responsibility" and avoid participating in "suspicious and misleading calls" that could "endanger people's lives."