Melilla’s Councillor for Citizen Security, José Ronda Inglés, has called on Morocco to streamline border crossings following a major traffic jam that caused delays of up to ten hours for over a thousand vehicles during Operation Crossing the Straits (OPE).
Ronda expressed concern over the situation, citing challenges faced by local police due to slow processing on the Moroccan side. He noted a traffic disparity between the congested Spanish border and an empty Moroccan side, creating a critical situation.
The backlog stemmed from the arrival of two ships carrying 300 vehicles each on Sunday morning, followed by more vehicles at midday, leading to severe congestion as local vehicles also sought to cross into Morocco.
Ronda emphasized the need for Morocco to speed up border procedures, attributing the problems to an unusually high volume of vehicles and acknowledging the strain on local resources despite additional police units and support services.
While Melilla supports OPE, Ronda stressed the central government’s primary responsibility for the operation. He reaffirmed Melilla’s commitment to facilitating border crossings but highlighted the challenges posed by heavy traffic.