La Operación Marhaba 2022 acumula ya un tránsito de más de 400.000 marroquíes y 100.000 vehículos

Operation Marhaba 2022 continues to be a success. After a two-year hiatus due to the health crisis and the tension between Spain and Morocco, this operation is back on track and the number of people arriving in the Maghreb kingdom via Andalusian ports is still being counted. The latest figures already register more than 400,000 Moroccans living abroad who have been able to return to their country of origin. In addition, more than 100,000 vehicles have already transited between the two countries.

This is good news for transit between the continents. According to the latest figures, the number of citizens and cars has increased by 48% and 62% respectively, compared to the data of 2019, the last year that Moroccans were able to cross the Spanish borders to their home. 

The president of the port of Algeciras, Gerardo Landaluce, points out that the Andalusian platform is the one which is having more affluence and where more Moroccans have returned to their homes since the beginning of the operation. He also stressed that the number of people will increase, especially after this weekend, as Morocco celebrates Eid Al-Adha. This is one of the most important festivities in the Arab world, on a par with Ramadan, and commemorates Abraham's act of will and obedience to Allah by trying to sacrifice his son as a sign of his devotion. 

Thanks to the crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar, Moroccans will be reunited with their families to celebrate this day. This celebration is carried out through prayers that honour Allah throughout the day, as well as the sacrifice of an animal as an act of faith. Afterwards, the animal is cooked and some of it is enjoyed with the family, some of it is given to friends or neighbours, and the last is donated to the poorest and most disadvantaged people.

Spanish ports are recording record figures after the last time Marhaba was launched. For example, the flow of Moroccans in the port of Almeria has grown by 58% more than in 2019.

Since 15 June this operation has been in force, it is reaching a large number of Moroccans who decide to return to their home country. During the first weekend of July, 28,000 vehicles were registered and due to such an influx, long queues and traffic jams were created at some Spanish points. "It's an Operation Crossing the Strait like we've never seen before," said Carlos Morales, spokesman for the Unified Police Union. 

However, everything is set to increase the flow of travellers this year. According to the authorities in charge of monitoring and controlling the whole operation, they expect the number of Moroccans arriving to the Kingdom to grow by 10% in 2022, which means a figure of 300,000 more people than in 2019. 

To ensure that everything goes smoothly and that the Moroccans reach their homes, the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, in collaboration with the National Police and the Civil Guard, has deployed a large number of cameras and agents to ensure and monitor the proper functioning of the operation. In total, 1,768 security cameras have been installed along the entire route and there are more than 16,000 agents watching over the safety of passengers. They are joined by associations such as the Red Cross to prevent any incident during the journey.

With the arrival of the coronavirus, Morocco has always tried to safeguard the health of its population, and with this operation, the controls will be no less strict. In addition to only admitting travel that has been purchased in advance, the Moroccan authorities at ports and shipping companies will require anyone arriving in the Kingdom to have a valid COVID passport or, failing that, a PCR test carried out 72 hours beforehand.

In the same way, and as part of this major police control to avoid incidents, until 15 July, travellers will have to have a visa to cross the cities of Ceuta and Melilla.