Morocco decides to ban smuggling from Ceuta and Melilla

Morocco’s Interior Minister Abdelouahed Laftit said that the country has decided to ban the resumption of smuggling between the Kingdom and Ceuta and Melilla. «To safeguard the dignity of Moroccan women, we will not allow this situation, which gives a bad image of women», he said during a meeting with activists and political parties Tuesday.

«Morocco is ready to consider other alternatives which will allow those affected» by the decision to live with dignity, he said. Smuggling «harms the local and national economy an also damages the image of Moroccan women», Laftit argued.

The position of the Minister on the topic has changed significantly since 2018. Back then, Laftit said that finding an alternative to the ban of smuggling is «very complicated with different partners and conflicting interests and that it is difficult to solve this problem».