Ceuta and Melilla: Clouds over the African Spanish Towns. Muslim Minorities, Spaniards' Fears and Morocco–Spain Mutual Dependence

In Ceuta and Melilla, two Spanish towns on the north coast of Africa, a new ethnic conflict is emerging, as the Muslim population of Moroccan origin gains demographic weight. The conflict manifests itself in terms of social segregation and demands for cultural rights and positive discrimination, but this takes place within the framework of the anxiety of the population of Spanish origin regarding the future of Spanish sovereignty over the towns. As usually happens in areas where an ethno-cultural minority is supported by a kin-state, historical international relations shape the possibilities of preventing and resolving ethnic conflict. As happens here, if the kin-state claims sovereignty over the territory where this minority lives, mistrust becomes the overriding element in the majority perception of the demands of the minority. This paper explains the origins of this conflict, its present expression, the role of local, domestic and international actors in its shaping and its foreseeable evolution.