Plazas de soberanía | |
|---|---|
![The plazas de soberanía, plus Ceuta (with Perejil Island[a]) and Melilla on the mainland, and Alboran Island[b] (with Nube Islet[c]) approx. 50 km north of the African coast](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMapa_del_sur_de_Espa%25C3%25B1a_neutral.png) Theplazas de soberanía, plusCeuta (withPerejil Island[a]) andMelilla on the mainland, andAlboran Island[b] (withNube Islet[c]) approx. 50 km north of the African coast | |
| Country |  Spain |
| Government | |
| • Type |
|
| Area | |
• Total | 0.40 km2 (0.15 sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Theplazas de soberanía (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈplaθasðesoβeɾaˈni.a]), meaning "strongholds of sovereignty",[3] are a series ofSpanish territories scattered along theMediterranean coast borderingMorocco, or that are closer toAfrica thanEurope. This term is used for those territories that have been a part of Spain since the formation of the modern country (1492–1556), as opposed to African territories acquired by Spain during the 19th and early 20th centuries in theScramble for Africa.
Historically, a distinction was made between the so-called "major places of sovereignty", comprising theautonomous cities ofCeuta andMelilla, and the "minor places of sovereignty", referring to a number of uninhabited islands and a small peninsula along the coast. Now the term refers mainly to the latter. Ceuta in particular was also historically part of the so-called "African Algarve" (Spanish:Algarbe Africano,Portuguese:Algarve Africano) within theKingdom of the Algarves, atitle which the Spanish monarchs still holdin pretense.
Morocco has claimed those territories (except the island of Alborán, further away from Africa) since its independence in 1956.[4] A rise in nationalist sentiment in Morocco can be attributed to this ongoing tension,[5] as well as an appeal to the decolonial objective in theCharter of the United Nations.[6]
Under the rule of the Roman Empire, from 218 BCE to 472 CE, Spain (thenHispania), included a major part of the Moroccan coast as a province, then calledMauretania Tingitana. This territory includes modern-day Ceuta and Melilla.
During theReconquista and mainly following the conquest ofGranada in 1492, forces of theCastilian andPortuguese kingdoms conquered and maintained numerous posts in North Africa for trade and as a defence againstBarbary piracy.
In August 1415, the Portuguese conquered the city of Ceuta. In 1481, thepapal bullAeterni regis had granted all land south of theCanary Islands to Portugal. Only this archipelago and the possessions ofSanta Cruz de la Mar Pequeña (1476–1524), Melilla (conquered by Pedro de Estopiñán in 1497),Villa Cisneros (founded in 1502 in currentWestern Sahara),Mazalquivir (1505),Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera (1508),Oran (1509–1708; 1732–1792),Algiers (1510–1529),Bugia (1510–1554),Tripoli (1511–1551), andTunis (1535–1569) remained as Spanish territory in Africa. Finally, following the independence of Portugal after the end of the Spanish-ledIberian Union,Ceuta was ceded by Portugal to Spain in 1668.[7]
In 1848, Spanish troops conquered the Islas Chafarinas. In the late 19th century, after the so-calledScramble for Africa, European nations had taken over colonial control of most of the African continent. The justification for the ownership of the protectorates by Spain was guided by a colonial ideology, claiming to be on a civilizing mission. Spain had already lost much of its colonial influence in Latin America, at a time where colonial influence was seen as a marker of strength in Europe.[8][9]
TheHispano-Moroccan War of 1860 resulted in a renewed interest by Spain in holding the territories, especially Ceuta.[8] The war left Morocco in financial disrepair, and the subsequentTreaty of Wad Ras was signed between Spain and Morocco with this disadvantage.[10] In the aftermath of the conflict, Spain declared Ceuta and Melilla to be perpetual territories, as well as establishing in the treaty the recognition of sovereignty by Morocco over theChafarinas Islands.
TheTreaty of Fez (signed on 30 March 1912) made most of Morocco a protectorate of France, while Spain assumed the role of protecting power over the northern part, calledSpanish Morocco.[11] When Spain relinquished its protectorate and recognized Morocco's independence in 1956, it did not give up these minor territories, as Spain had held them well before the establishment of its protectorate. The move to "nationalize" theplazas has been guided by a nationalist sentiment from the Spanish government, to legitimize the sovereignty over the territories. Ceuta and Melilla have become the target of a campaign to justify the ownership based on the geographical heritage of theClassical Antiquity era.[12]
The Spanish protectorate and theplazas de soberanía are understood to be different, especially since the strongholds remained under Spanish rule after the end of the protectorate.[13] France similarly sought to remain in control of Morocco after independence, with a continuation of French rule given through the rationale of advancement of Moroccan interests. Morocco is contemporaneously affected by the effects of continued French rule after independence,[14] and the continued stronghold by the Spanish government with Ceuta and Melilla.
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On 11 July 2002, Morocco stationed six gendarmes onPerejil Island, which was at the time a source of complaint by Spain. The Spanish Armed Forces responded by launching a military operation code-namedOperation Romeo-Sierra. The operation was carried out by Spanish commandos ofGrupo de Operaciones Especiales.
The Spanish Navy and Air Force provided support; the six Moroccan navy cadets did not offer any resistance and were captured and evicted from the island. It has since been evacuated by both countries.[15]
On 3 January 2020, 42 migrants went to the Chafarinas Islands; the Civil Guard ordered their immediate expulsion without following the legal procedure.[16] The Spanish NGO 'Walking Border' denounced the "hot returns," or expulsions without due process, as violations of international law.[17][18] Strict immigration policy over theplazas de soberanía has made it so that only certain immigrants are welcomed to the strongholds. Stigma surrounding the background of the people crossing the Mediterranean to arrive to the shores of the strongholds have informed the harsh response to this influx of immigrants and refugees.[19] The most extreme recent example of "hot returns" is the2022 Melilla incident.
In addition to Ceuta and Melilla, there are historically several minorplazas de soberanía:[20]
Apart from these, there are two other islands usually considered within theplazas de soberanía. The disputed Perejil Island, a small uninhabited islet close to Ceuta, is considered by Spain to be a part of Ceuta and not a territory in its own right.[22]Alboran Island (Isla de Alborán), another small island in the western Mediterranean, approx. 50 kilometres (31.05 miles) from the African coast and 90 kilometres (55.92 miles) fromcontinental Europe, is administered as a part of the municipality ofAlmería on theIberian Peninsula.
Theplazas de soberanía are smallislands and apeninsula off thecoast of Morocco (the only peninsula,Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, was an island until a 1934storm formed asand bridge with themainland). They are guarded by military garrisons and administered directly by theSpanish central government.
LikeCeuta andMelilla, they are all parts ofSpain, therefore also parts of theEuropean Union, with their currency being theeuro. In this sense, the EU has contributed significantly to the fencing and security of the borders between theplazas and the rest of Morocco, with the goal of preventingillegal immigration.[23]
Ceuta, Melilla, Vélez de la Gomera, Alhucemas and the Chafarinas Islands are Spanish territories that lie along Morocco's northern coastline. Morocco has claimed the territories since its independence in 1956. The sovereignty of a further territory, the islet of Perejil, remains unresolved after a military confrontation between Morocco and Spain in 2002.
When officers from Spain's civil guard police force arrived on a small patrol boat from the nearby Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta three miles away and to which the islet nominally belongs...
