Our Series on Tiny Disputes takes us to the Northernmost part of the Atlantic Coast of Africa.
The dispute over Perejil Island (Island of Parsley in Spanish) is part of a broader dispute between Morocco and Spain. Spain has retained sovereignty over five small territories on or off the shores of Morocco, which the latter disputes. Two of those territories, Ceuta and Melilla, are autonomous municipalities of Spain and have a permanent population. The other three are military outposts on islands or peninsulas.
While Spain exercises full control over these territories, the small island of Perejil, a few miles West of Ceuta, is not controlled by any of the two powers: Spain has built a lighthouse to guide vessels towards the port of Ceuta, but Morocco denies Spain any territorial rights to the island. In 2002, Morocco invaded the island and sent 6 soldiers to guard it, but Spain sent a frigate to take it over and succeeded in regaining control without a single shot fired.
As of 2022, the situation is unchanged, but the relations between Spain and Morocco remain tense, a legacy of Spain's colonial past in the region.
The Perejil Island Dispute
