Perejil Island crisis

Perejil Island crisis Perejil Island at far left, near Ceuta Date July 18, 2002 Location Perejil Island Result Spanish victory, return to Status quo ante Belligerents  Spain  Morocco Commanders and leaders José María Aznar Federico Trillo Ahmed Midaoui Strength Grupo de Operaciones Especiales Spanish Legion Spanish Navy Spanish Air Force Guardia Civil 6 Moroccan Auxiliary Forces members Casualties and losses None All captured and released in the same day

The Perejil Island crisis was a bloodless armed conflict between Spain and Morocco that occurred on July 18, 2002. The incident took place over the small, uninhabited Perejil Island.

Background

Perejil Island (Isla Perejil in Spanish and Leila Laila in Arabic) is a small rocky island about the size of a football field between Spain and Morocco, lying 250 metres (270 yd) from Morocco, and 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from the Spanish city of Ceuta, which borders Morocco, is its 13.5 kilometres (8.4 mi) from mainland Spain. The island itself is deserted, and is occupied by some Moroccan shepherds. Tensions rose on July 11, 2002, when a group of six Moroccan soldiers was deployed to the island and set up a base.^[1]

Morocco claimed that it was to monitor illegal immigration and to fight drug traffic which uses the island as a logistic platform,^[2][3] a claim which Spain denied, since Morocco had not cooperated with Spain on this issue before^{[citation needed]}. After protest by the Spanish government, the soldiers were replaced by Cadets of the Moroccan Navy.

Operation Romeo-Sierra

On the morning of July 18, 2002, conflict broke out when Spain tried to take the island by force, code-named Operation Romeo-Sierra. The attack was carried out by Spanish commandos of Grupo de Operaciones Especiales. The Spanish Navy and Spanish Air Force provided support. The Moroccan Navy Cadets did not offer any resistance. Within a matter of hours, all of the Moroccan Navy Cadets were taken prisoner, and the island was secured. The captured Cadets were transported by helicopter to the headquarters of Guardia Civil in Ceuta, from where they were transported to the Moroccan border. Over the course of the same day, the Spanish commandos on the island were replaced by soldiers of the Spanish Legion.

Aftermath

The Spanish Legion troops on the island remained there after the operation was complete. The United States mediated the situation, and eventually managed to restore the status quo ante. All Spanish troops were withdrawn, and the island remains unoccupied but claimed by both sides. BBC News interviewed Spanish citizens across Madrid after the conflict, and most people supported this incursion. Opposition politician Gaspar Llamazares of the United Left party said that Spain shouldn't fall into the provocation trap, so it doesn't ruin its image in North Africa.^[4]

This was not the first armed conflict between Spain and Morocco, which have a long history of war, but the fact that Morocco didn't launch an attack from mainland on the Spanish Army made it the first bloodless conflict. The two countries continue to dispute sovereignty of the island.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ http://www.telquel-online.com/153/sujet3.shtml L'Ilot Leïla, Le choc des photos. TelQuel Magazine
2. ^ http://www.elfaroceutamelilla.es/content/view/24521/69/ Consiguen el pase de 10 toneladas de droga almacenadas en isla Perejil. El Faro de Ceuta journal
3. ^ http://www.elperiodico.com/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=46&idioma=CAS&idnoticia_PK=579679&idseccio_PK=1021 El Periodico.com
4. ^ http://www.abc.es/hemeroteca/historico-17-07-2002/abc/Nacional/pnv-e-iu-critican-la-operacion-mientras-los-demas-grupos-muestran-su-apoyo_115079.html PNV e IU critican la operación, mientras los demás grupos muestran su apoyo. Periodico ABC

External links

• http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/spain-and-morocco-agree-to-differ-over-perejil-649208.html
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2136501.stm