By CGTN’s Dan Williams

Over the last few weeks, hundreds of people, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, have managed to breach the security fences between Morocco and the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. But while this has caused huge concern amongst politicians in Spain, fewer migrants attempt to take this route into Europe compared to the more dangerous Libya-Italy crossing, mainly because of the cooperation between Morocco and Spain.

Between February 17 and 20, a total of 853 people reached Spain’s Ceuta from Morocco by breaching the six-meter-high border fence, in the biggest influx the city had ever seen. The number of immigrants is almost half of the amount that managed to cross into Ceuta during the whole year of 2016. 

In Melilla, four fences separate the enclave and Spain, but the Guardia Civil say migrants can break through the barriers in less than a minute. To maintain security, relations between Spain and Morocco are key. 

Although security measures are being re-examined, it is no coincidence that Spain′s interior minister Juan Agnacio Zoido has once again reaffirmed the importance of relations with Morocco.

"The relation between Spain and Morocco is the priority of the foreign policy of Spain. The Spanish and Morocco authorities have been successful in keeping the immigration tap closed," said Rosa Menezes, El Mundo journalist.

But some are not convinced.

Yamani Eddoghmi, who represents the Moroccan association of human rights, says unless the issue is addressed at source, the migration flow will continue. 

"While serious social, economic and political problems exist south of Europe′s border, I am convinced that what Europe does, there will always be a route whether that′s in Morocco, Algeria, Libya Tunisia. This problem will always exist. Always. It is unsolvable if it is treated as a security problem as it is at the moment,” Eddoghmi noted.