Parsley war
Map of Ceuta and Isla Perejil (to the west)
| date | July 12, 2002 to July 18, 2002 |
|---|---|
| place | Isla del Perejil |
| Casus Belli | Occupation of the Isla del Perejil by Morocco |
| output | Victory for Spain |
| Territorial changes | Isla del Perejil on Spain |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Troop strength | |
| unknown | 12 |
| losses | |
|
no |
6 soldiers captured (released shortly afterwards) |
The parsley war (or parsley conflict, because there was no exchange of fire during its course) took place in 2002 between Morocco and Spain .
Surname
The conflict was named after the so-called Parsley Island (Isla del Perejil). This tiny island (0.5 km in diameter) is only about 200 meters off the coast of Morocco, but also near the Spanish exclave of Ceuta in North Africa . It is only used by some Moroccan shepherds to pasture goats ; otherwise it is completely uninhabited.
chronology
On July 11, 2002, Moroccan soldiers occupied the island under the pretext of setting up a post to better monitor illegal migrants and drug smuggling, as well as to ward off terrorism . In addition, Morocco declared the island its possession, as it was not mentioned in the Spanish-Moroccan treaty for the independence of Morocco of 1956. Spain, for its part, accused Morocco of breaking a tacit agreement from the 1960s that stipulated that the island could not be occupied by either of the two states.
The Moroccan government was well aware of the provocation this action meant for Spain. Morocco has been demanding the surrender of the Spanish exclaves in North Africa Ceuta and Melilla since 1975 without success . These demands were made rather half-heartedly as long as relations between the two states were good. However , relations between the countries had cooled significantly under the Spanish Aznar government . There was a dispute over fishing rights and illegal immigrants from Morocco. In addition, the Spanish government wanted to replace Moroccan harvest workers with Eastern European ones. The Moroccan government saw an opportunity to take revenge on Spain, which was economically and militarily superior, but did not expect Spain to react.
After July 13, 2002, Spanish troop reinforcements followed in the region around Ceuta and Melilla by 1,200 marines and reinforcement of the fleet in the Strait of Gibraltar. The guided missile frigates Navarra (F85) and Numancia (F83) arrived in Ceuta on July 15, 2002. To strengthen the to were amphibious warfare equipped ships L52 Castilla , and the older Corvette , later as patrol ship classified P78 Cazadora and an anti-aircraft missiles - battery to Ceuta ordered. The multi-purpose frigate Baleares (F71), the corvette Infanta Elena (P76) and two submarines were relocated to the Strait of Gibraltar for reinforcement . Numerous reconnaissance flights began using AS.532 Cougar helicopters and F-18 Hornet combat aircraft .
On July 16, 2002, Spain ordered its ambassador, Fernando Arias-Salgado , back from Rabat after negotiations with Morocco did not lead to a solution. Morocco's Foreign Minister Mohammed Benaissa had ruled out a voluntary evacuation of the occupied rock. The soldiers were supposed to control the illegal boat people and drug smugglers in the strait over the island.
On July 17, 2002, around 28 soldiers from the elite unit Bandera de Operaciones Especiales Legionarias (BOEL) (now part of the Grupos de Operaciones Especiales ) from Alicante , supported by six helicopters, stormed the island and briefly detained six Moroccan soldiers. F-18 fighter planes also supported the recapture. Spain had previously informed the United Nations Security Council , the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) as well as its NATO allies. This military action came as a complete surprise, especially as the Spanish government had declared a few days earlier that it wanted to settle the conflict diplomatically. However, since Spain was unable to substantiate its claims to the island with documents (the island was not mentioned in any treaty), the Spanish soldiers finally had to evacuate the island.
The Spanish government announced on July 18 that it would withdraw its soldiers if Morocco promised not to occupy it again. Spain offered Morocco to carry out joint patrols by the Guardia Civil and the Moroccan gendarmerie on the island in order to combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking .
In the course of the conflict there were neither injuries nor exchanges of fire. Afterwards, neither the Spanish nor the Moroccan governments undertook any further provocations, probably under pressure from the international community.
The dispute is also remarkable because it represents a conflict between a NATO and EU member on the one hand and a third power on the other. That is why there was speculation in advance about the possible entry into force of the alliance case on the part of the remaining NATO members.