The Diplomat
Spain has sold armament and military material to Morocco for more than 385 million euros between 1991 and 2020, of which almost half corresponds to the supply of land vehicles, according to a parliamentary response to which Europa Press had access.
Compromís senator Carles Mulet had asked the government about the “quantity of armaments, war material, bombs, military vehicles, etc.” that Spain had sold annually since 1991 to Morocco and the cost of these sales.
In a first answer, the government had limited itself to referring to the statistics on the export of defence material, other material and dual-use products and technologies published by the Ministry of Trade, which led Mulet to insist on his question.
Now, in its new response, the government has provided the Compromís senator with the requested data in the form of two tables with annual figures, clarifying that these are not available in a disaggregated form before 2005.
According to the charts provided by the Executive, the total amount in these almost 30 years amounts to 385,763,165 euros, of which 164,041,756 euros correspond to land vehicles. The second largest item is munitions and devices, for 98,799,414 euros, followed by bombs, torpedoes, rockets and missiles, for 33,693,606 euros.
Spain has also sold ‘aircraft, lighter-than-air vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles’ for 10,652,626 euros, and production equipment for almost 6.6 million euros.
The supplies of energy materials and related substances amount to 1,386,120 euros; smooth-bore weapons with a calibre of 20mm or more, other weapons or armament with a calibre of more than 12.7mm for 912,800 euros; electronic equipment, spacecraft for 465,310 euros and armoured or protective equipment and constructions for 25,922 euros.
Of the entire period for which data is available, 2008 was the year with the highest amount of sales, with more than 113.9 million euros, exclusively related to the supply of ground vehicles.
Overall, sales of armaments and other military equipment to Morocco experienced a clear increase from 2014, when they amounted to more than 9.7 million, and this has been more or less sustained since then, with some peaks such as 2016, when it rose to more than 30.2 million, including 22.2 million in ammunition and devices and 7.7 million in bombs, torpedoes, rockets and missiles.
In 2019, the total amount was 23.24 million euros, including more than 13.2 million euros for ammunition and 8.5 million euros for bombs, torpedoes and so on, while in 2020, the last year for which data is available, the total amounted to more than 12.5 million euros. Again, the main item is ammunition (more than 10.27 million), but land vehicles were also supplied for 1.34 million.
Compromís yesterday criticised the government for having sold arms to Morocco since 1991, when the ceasefire agreement was signed with the Polisario Front in the conflict over Western Sahara, which remains unresolved to this day.
The party denounces that, during this time, the neighbouring country has been “harassing Spain” and cites as examples “military bases near the autonomous cities, drones with bombs that would reach these cities, continuous invasion of Spanish land and waters; Chafarinas or Perejil, border closures, oil prospecting near the Canary Islands”.
“If Morocco is a threat today against the integrity of the State, or if it continues to massacre the Saharawi people, it is thanks to the sale of Spanish arms”, concludes Compromís.
