Spain, Morocco Reopen Land Borders after Two-year Closure

People arrive in Fnideq after the border with the Spanish enclave of Ceuta reopens after two years' closure due to Covid and a diplomatic row FADEL SENNA AFP
People arrive in Fnideq after the border with the Spanish enclave of Ceuta reopens after two years' closure due to Covid and a diplomatic row FADEL SENNA AFP
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Spain, Morocco Reopen Land Borders after Two-year Closure

People arrive in Fnideq after the border with the Spanish enclave of Ceuta reopens after two years' closure due to Covid and a diplomatic row FADEL SENNA AFP
People arrive in Fnideq after the border with the Spanish enclave of Ceuta reopens after two years' closure due to Covid and a diplomatic row FADEL SENNA AFP

Morocco and Spain have reopened the land borders between the north African country and the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, two years after they were shut due to Covid restrictions and a major diplomatic row.

The enclaves on the Mediterranean coast in northern Morocco have the European Union's only land borders with Africa, said AFP.

The gates opened shortly after 11:00 pm local time (2200 GMT) on Monday night, letting dozens of cars and queues of pedestrians pass in both directions.

At the Fnideq border post, smiles lit up the faces of the travelers crossing to see their families on the Moroccan side.

"I was stuck for two years in Ceuta, I'm very happy to be back home," said Nourredine.

"I am happy that Morocco and Spain have restored their relations, it allows us to see our families," said one man in his sixties.

The reopening of the borders of the two enclaves initially remains limited to residents of Europe's open-borders Schengen area and their family members.

It will be expanded to cross-border workers after May 31.

The local economies on both sides of the borders depend on the crossing of people and goods.

The Ceuta and Melilla crossings were closed during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.

The borders became the focus of a major dispute last year, when Madrid allowed the leader of a Western Saharan independence movement to be treated for Covid-19 in a Spanish hospital.

In March this year, Spain moved to end the diplomatic crisis with Morocco by changing its decades-long stance of neutrality and backing the kingdom's autonomy plan for the Western Sahara, which Rabat insists must remain under its sovereignty.

Maritime travel between the two countries resumed on April 12.

Following their reconciliation, Morocco and Spain have committed to strengthening cooperation on irregular migration.

Morocco, which is one of Spain's major trade partners, plays a significant role in controlling the flow of migrants towards Europe.



Report: US Embassy in Iraq Preparing for Ordered Evacuation Due to ‘Heightened Security Risks’

The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file)
The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file)
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Report: US Embassy in Iraq Preparing for Ordered Evacuation Due to ‘Heightened Security Risks’

The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file)
The US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. (Reuters file)

The US embassy in Iraq is preparing for an ordered evacuation due to heightened security risks in the region, an Iraqi security official and a US source said on Wednesday.

Iran's Minister of Defense Aziz Nasirzadeh said earlier in the day that Tehran will strike US bases in the region if nuclear talks and conflict arise with Washington.

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"The State Department is set to have an ordered departure for (the) US embassy in Baghdad. The intent is to do it through commercial means, but the US military is standing by if help is requested," another US official said.

US President Donald Trump said he was less confident that Iran will agree to stop uranium enrichment in a nuclear deal with Washington, according to an interview released on Wednesday.

Another US official said that there was no change in operations at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military base in the Middle East and that no evacuation order had been issued for employees or families linked to the US Embassy in Qatar, which was operating as usual.

Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran with bombing if it does not reach a new nuclear deal.