Newspaper article 2, Contraband Modern in the Fes Medina

CONTRABAND IN EASTERN MOROCCO

by Mohamed Belbachir
al-Alam, No. 19649, 9 March 2004

- The Markets of eastern Morocco Flooded with Contraband Products from Algeria and Occupied Melilla!

- 80 per cent of Products on Sale Belong to the Black Market!

- The Phenomenon: A Big Challenge for the Traders and Manufacturers of the Region!

1. CONTRABAND AND/IN THE HISTORY OF THE REGION

The civilizational specificities of the eastern region and its cities have allowed this part of the country to play a major role in the ancient and modern history of Morocco... This region was the destination for the trade caravans traveling between the west of the region (i.e., Fez) and the north of Algeria, and between the desert oases and the Mediterranean, because the region was linked to the then Tabhirt Port, very close to modern-day Saidia.

During the colonial period, the eastern region was home to different communities and ethnicities: Moroccans, Algerians, the French, the Spaniards, and so on. What is of concern to us here is rather the nature of the relations between Morocco and Algeria, on the one hand, and Morocco and Spain, on the other, in order to assess their impact on the economies of the region. The fact of this part of the country being geographically far from the major national markets, like Fez and Casablanca has made it an attraction for all kinds of contraband. Other factors include the importance of its markets and the mindset of the local consumer, who prefers everything foreign because of good quality and/or the low price. As a consequence, this region of the country is difficult to integrate in the national economic space. Besides, this geographical area is liable to the unexpected changes of the border areas.

2. THE GEOGRAPHICAL FACTORS OF CONTRABAND

Eastern Morocco has its own geographical particularity: it is far from the economic and administrative capitals of the country (i.e., Casablanca and Rabat respectively), on the one hand, and its location in a zone of intersecting international borders, on the other.

This geographical area should have been an advantage for the local and national economies. However, geographical distance has constituted a hindrance in front against this prospect; Oujda and Nador, the region’s foremost cities, are very far from Casablanca: 632 km and 628 km respectively. This has had negative impacts on both time and cost. It is ‘natural’ that the prices of the national products that come from Casablanca are higher than those of the contraband products. The borders between Morocco and Algeria have no significance if they merely act as barriers against the transit of goods and people. This eastern region can become a strategic national (and even Maghrebian) zone in case Moroccan-Algerian relations are restored. The worsening political relations between the two countries have certainly made worse their trade exchanges. It can be safely said that the direct victims of this status quo are the east of Morocco and the west of Algeria, and the only winner is Spain!

3. CONTRABAND AND THE HISTORY OF BILATERAL RELATIONS

In 1975, the Moroccan-Algerian relations witnessed a certain rupture due to the problem of the Moroccan Sahara. This resulted in bringing to an end all legal exchanges between the two countries, on the one hand, and the movement of people and monies across the borders in a legal manner, on the other. This was the reason behind the growth of a parallel illegal activity to transport people and goods across the closed borders! The bilateral political relations between the two neighbour countries were resumed in on May 16, 1988; accordingly, no visa was needed to travel across the borders, airlines were allowed to travel between the two countries, and the borders were reopened on June 5 of the same year. However, this stage did not last for long as the borders were reclosed in 1995; no people or goods were permitted to cross the borders in a legal manner, and a visa was needed for travelers. All this prevented Morocco from setting a strategy for sustainable development that is built upon openness towards the Algerian markets. We hope that the two countries will be able to go beyond their turbulent political past in order to embrace economic globalization and to open their markets in the face of foreign markets!

4. THE SPANISH PRESENCE IN CEUTA AND MELILLIA HAS INTENSIFIED CONTRABAND ACTIVITIES

The fact that these two northern cities are occupied (and have been so for the last four centuries) is a hindrance for any plans for regional development in both the eastern region and the northern provinces. These two cities have become the major centers for commercial contraband activities; there has been a proliferation of the cities for the distribution of the illegal products that are smuggled from Melilla and Ceuta: Oujda, Tetouan, Lfnidq, Nador, Taourirt, Guercif, to name but a few. Despite the fact that this activity is the source of livelihood for some people and consumption for others, it has a drastic impact on the economy of the region, and Morocco at large! Nowadays, contraband products are received and distributed in/by the city of Nador, which alone hosts 1,500 shops specialized in selling these products, and the city of Oujda, which is no less important in distributing them at both the local and the national levels.

The impacts of contraband on traders and manufacturers: This phenomenon has made many of these people go bankrupt, on the one hand, and negatively influencing the rates of their sales, especially gas sales because contraband gas is on sale on all roads and pavements, even in specialized stations such as the one in Beni Drar, on the other hand. This has had dramatic influences on the security of the inhabitants; it is also responsible for the closing down of many gas stations in this part of the country. Police forces have been campaigning against this phenomenon, but to no avail. Contraband also extends to different brands of electric, electronic and food products; it also covers construction materials, clothing, and even cattle. The markets of Beni Drar, Ahfir, Berkane, the Farmer's Market, and the Sidi Abdelwahhab Square all provide evidence about the predominance of contraband. In Oujda, for example, we find that Al Qods Market is specialized in selling some electric and electronic products; in the Melillia Market, cosmetic toiletries, clothes, and some house furniture are on sale; the Farmer's Market is reserved for the sale of foods, construction materials, blankets, carpets, medical drugs, etc.

In any case, the phenomenon of contraband has become widespread in the eastern region of the country due to various reasons, the most important of which has to do with geopolitics. But the question that we need to ask is: Are all the involved sides trying to figure out some ways to contain this phenomenon and to find a way out in order to protect the regional and national economies?

Translated by Jamal BAHMAD