Melilla

Melilla (/mɛˈliːjə/, Spanish: [meˈliʝa] ; Tarifit: Mřič) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of 12.3 km (4.7 sq mi). It was part of the Province of Málaga until 14 March 1995, when the Statute of Autonomy of Melilla was passed.
Melilla is one of the special territories of the member states of the European Union. Movements to and from the rest of the EU and Melilla are subject to specific rules, provided for inter alia in the Accession Agreement of Spain to the Schengen Convention.
As of 2019, Melilla had a population of 86,487. The population is chiefly divided between people of Iberian and Riffian extraction. There is also a small number of Sephardic Jews and Sindhi Hindus. Melilla features a diglossia between the official Spanish and Tarifit.
Like the autonomous city of Ceuta and Spain's other territories in Africa, Melilla is subject to an irredentist claim by Morocco.
Borrowed from Spanish, the English name Melilla is pronounced /mɛˈliːjə/ or /məˈliːjə/ to approximate the sound of the Spanish double L, properly [meˈliʝa] in most standard Spanish dialects. The name is attested from the 9th century, deriving from Arabic Malīlya (مَلِيلْيَة, [maˈliːlja]) of uncertain etymology. The name has been related to honey (Spanish: miel; Latin: mel; Ancient Greek: μέλι, méli) since Melilla was a notable site for beekeeping in antiquity, a bee appearing prominently on the city's bronze coinage under Mauretanian rule. Alternatively, it has been taken from words meaning "discord", "fever", or a medieval Arab figure. The placename perhaps comes from the Amazigh root M·L (meaning 'white'), producing the Amazigh mlilet and which results in the local Mrič ([mrɪtʃ]) via /l/→ [r] and /lt/ → [č] changes.
The city uses as its heraldic shield the arms of the House of Medina Sidonia by virtue of a royal decree from Alfonso XIII in 1913. The blazon that defines the coat of arms of Melilla is as follows:
The flag used by the autonomous city consists of the heraldic shield placed at the center of a light blue field. It bears the titles of Muy Valerosa y Humanitaria (Very Valiant and Humanitarian), granted by King Alfonso XIII through a Royal Decree on March 11, 1913, in recognition of the population's aid during the campaigns of 1893, 1909, and 1911. It also holds the title of Muy Caritativa (Very Charitable), granted by the same king on February 9, 1929, for providing assistance to the victims of the explosion at the Cabrerizas Bajas gunpowder magazine. Additionally, it bears the title of Adelantada del Movimiento Nacional (Leader of the National Movement), granted by Francisco Franco in March 1962, for being the city where the Spanish Civil War began. This last title has not been removed and remains unused by the city, recalling the unrecognized title of Adelantada de España en África (Leader of Spain in Africa) granted by the Catholic Monarchs for its role as a forward post in defending the Andalusian coast against the Barbary pirates.
The city's patrons are Our Lady of Victory and Saint Francis of Assisi.
Melilla was a Phoenician and later Punic trade establishment under variations of the name Rusadir (Punic: 𐤓‬𐤔𐤀𐤃𐤓‬, ršʾdr), taken from the Phoenician name of the nearby Cape Three Forks. After Carthage's defeat in the Punic Wars, the city fell under the control of the Roman client state Mauretania. After its annexation under Caligula, Claudius organized it as part of the province of Mauretania Tingitana. Pliny mentions it as a native hillfort and port (Latin: oppidum et portus). It was made a Roman colony in AD 46, after which it was sometimes referenced as Flavia. Rusaddir was said to have once been the seat of a bishop, but there is no record of any bishop of the purported see and it is not included in the Catholic Church's list of modern titular sees.
The political history is similar to that of towns in the region of the Moroccan Rif and southern Spain. Melilla was progressively ruled by the Vandals, Byzantines, and the Visigoths. In the early 6th century, it was the main port of the Mauro-Roman Kingdom. After the Islamic conquest of North Africa, it fell under the Umayyads, Cordobans, Idrisids, Almoravids, Almohads, Marinids, and Wattasids.
During the 15th century, the city declined, like most Mediterranean cities of the Kingdom of Fez, eclipsed by those on the Atlantic. After the Catholic Monarchs' conquest of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada in 1492, their Secretary Hernando de Zafra [es] gathered intelligence about the sorry state of the North African coast with territorial expansion in mind. He sent agents to investigate, and subsequently reported to the Catholic Monarchs that, as of 1494, locals had expelled the authority of the Sultan of Fez and had offered to pledge loyalty. While the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas put Melilla and Cazaza, until then reserved to the Portuguese, under the sphere of Castile, the conquest of the city had to wait, delayed by the French occupation of Naples.
The Duke of Medina Sidonia, Juan Alfonso Pérez de Guzmán, advocated seizing Melilla, to be headed by Pedro de Estopiñán [es], and the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, endorsed the initiative and provided the assistance of artillery officer Francisco Ramírez de Madrid. Melilla was occupied on 17 September 1497, virtually without violence as it was on the border between the Kingdom of Tlemcen and the Kingdom of Fez, and as a result had been fought over many times and left abandoned. No large-scale expansion into the Kingdom of Fez ensued, and, barring the enterprises of the Cardinal Cisneros along the Algerian coast in Mers El Kébir and Oran, and the rock of Badis in the territorial scope of the Kingdom of Fez, the Hispanic monarchy's imperial impetus was eventually directed elsewhere, to the Italian Wars against France, and, especially after 1519, to the newly discovered continent across the Atlantic.
Melilla was initially jointly administered by the House of Medina Sidonia and the Crown, and a 1498 settlement required the former to station a 700-man garrison in Melilla and the latter to provide the city with a number of maravedíes and wheat fanegas. The Crown's interest in Melilla decreased during the reign of Charles V. During the 16th century, soldiers stationed in Melilla were badly remunerated, leading to many desertions. The Duke of Medina Sidonia relinquished responsibility over the garrison of the place on 7 June 1556.
During the late 17th century, Alaouite sultan Ismail Ibn Sharif attempted to conquer the presidio, taking the outer fortifications in the 1680s and further unsuccessfully besieging Melilla in the 1690s.
One Spanish officer reflected, "an hour in Melilla, from the point of view of merit, was worth more than thirty years of service to Spain."
The current limits of the Spanish territory around the Melilla fortress were fixed by treaties with Morocco in 1859, 1860, 1861, and 1894. In the late 19th century, as Spanish influence expanded in this area, the Crown authorized Melilla as the only centre of trade on the Rif coast between Tetuan and the Algerian border. The value of trade increased, with goat skins, eggs and beeswax the principal exports, and cotton goods, tea, sugar and candles the chief imports.
Melilla's civil population in 1860 still amounted to only 375 estimated inhabitants. In a 1866 Hispano-Moroccan arrangement signed in Fes, both parties agreed to allow for the installment of a customs office near the border with Melilla, to be operated by Moroccan officials. The Treaty of Peace with Morocco that followed the 1859–60 War entailed the acquisition of a new perimeter for Melilla, bringing its area to that where the 12 km the autonomous city currently stands. Following the declaration of Melilla as a free port in 1863, the population began to increase, chiefly with Sephardi Jews fleeing from Tetouan who fostered trade in and out of the city. The first Jews from Tetouan probably arrived in 1864, and the first rabbi arrived in 1867 and began to operate the first synagogue, located in the Calle de San Miguel. Many Jews arrived fleeing from persecution in Morocco instigated by Roghi Bu Hamara. Following the 1868 lifting of the veto of emigration to Melilla from Peninsular Spain, the population further increased with Spaniards. The Jewish population, who also progressively acquired Spanish citizenship, increased to 572 in 1893. The economic opportunities created in Melilla henceforth favoured the installment of a Berber population.
The first body of local government was the junta de arbitrios created in 1879, in which the military enjoy preponderance. The Polígono excepcional de Tiro, the first neighborhood outside the walled core (Melilla la Vieja), began construction in 1888.
In 1893, Riffian tribesmen launched the First Melillan campaign to try to conquer the city; the Spanish government sent 25,000 soldiers to defend it against them. The conflict was also known as the Margallo War, after Spanish General Juan García y Margallo, Governor of Melilla, who was killed in the battle. The new 1894 agreement with Morocco that followed the conflict increased trade with the hinterland, bringing the economic prosperity of the city to a new level. The total population of Melilla amounted to 10,004 inhabitants in 1896.
The turn of the new century saw attempts by France (based in French Algeria) to profit from their newly acquired sphere of influence in Morocco to counter Melilla's trading prowess by fostering trade links with the Algerian cities of Ghazaouet and Oran. Melilla began to suffer from this, to which the instability brought by revolts against Muley Abdel Aziz in the hinterland also added, although after 1905 Sultan pretender El Rogui (Bou Hmara) carried out a defusing policy in the area that favoured Spain. The French occupation of Oujda in 1907 compromised the Melillan trade with that city, and the enduring instability in the Rif still threatened Melilla. Between 1909 and 1945, the modernista (Art Nouveau) style was prevalent in local architecture, making Melilla's streets a "true museum of modernista-style architecture", second only to Barcelona, mainly stemming from the work of architect Enrique Nieto.
Mining companies began to enter the hinterland of Melilla by 1908. A Spanish company, the Compañía Española de las Minas del Rif [es], was constituted in July 1908, shared by Clemente Fernández, Enrique Macpherson, the Count of Romanones, the Duke of Tovar and Juan Antonio Güell [es], who appointed Miguel Villanueva as chairman. Thus two mining companies under the protection of Bou Hmara started mining lead and iron 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from Melilla. They started to construct a railway between the port and the mines. In October of that year, Bou Hmara's vassals revolted against him and raided the mines, which remained closed until June 1909. By July the workmen were again attacked and several were killed. Severe fighting between the Spaniards and the tribesmen followed, in the Second Melillan campaign that took place in the vicinity of Melilla.
In 1910, the Spaniards restarted the mines and undertook harbor works at Mar Chica, but hostilities broke out again in 1911. On 22 July 1921, the Berbers under the leadership of Abd el Krim inflicted a grave defeat on the Spanish at the Battle of Annual. The Spanish retreated to Melilla, leaving most of the protectorate under the control of the Republic of the Rif.
A royal decree pursuing the creation of an ayuntamiento in Melilla was signed on 13 December 1918 but the regulation did not come into force, and thus the existing government body, the junta de arbitrios, remained in force.
A "junta municipal" with a rather civil composition was created in 1927; on 10 April 1930, an ayuntamiento featuring the same membership as the junta was created, equalling to the same municipal regime as the rest of Spain on 14 April 1931, with the arrival of the first democratically elected municipal corporation on the wake of the proclamation of the Second Republic.
The city was used as one of the staging grounds for the July 1936 military coup d'état that started the Spanish Civil War.
In the context of the passing of the Ley de Extranjería in 1986, and following social mobilization from the Berber community, conditions for citizenship acquisition were flexibilised and allowed for the naturalisation of a substantial number of inhabitants, until then born in Melilla but without Spanish citizenship.
In 1995, Melilla —until then just another municipality of the Málaga— became an autonomous city, as their Statute of Autonomy was passed.
On 6 November 2007, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia visited Melilla, with several display of affection from the population. The visit also sparked protests from the Moroccan government. It was the first time a Spanish monarch had visited Melilla in 80 years.
Melilla, together with Ceuta, declared the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha —Feast of the Sacrifice— an official public holiday from 2010 onward. It is the first time a non-Christian religious festival has been officially celebrated in Spain since the Reconquista.
In 2018, Morocco decided to close the customs office near Melilla, the first time since mid-19th century, without any consultation with Spain. The customs office was expected to reopen in January 2023. As of February 2025, trade was still tentative and limited.
Melilla was the location of the last public statue in Spain to commemorate former dictator Francisco Franco following Spain's Historical Memory Law, passed in 2007, which included provision to the removal of any artefacts which celebrated the Franco regime from all public buildings and spaces. Nonetheless, the statue remained on the Cuesta de la Florentina street until its final removal in 2021.
Melilla is in northwest Africa, on the shores of the Alboran Sea, a marginal sea of the Mediterranean, the latter's westernmost portion. The city is arranged in a wide semicircle around the beach and the Port of Melilla, on the eastern side of the peninsula of Cape Tres Forcas, at the foot of Mount Gurugú and around the mouth of the Río de Oro intermittent water stream, 1 meter (3 ft 3 in) above sea level. The urban nucleus was originally a fortress, Melilla la Vieja, built on a peninsular mound about 30 meters (98 ft) in height.
The Moroccan settlement of Beni Ansar lies immediately south of Melilla. The nearest Moroccan city is Nador, and the ports of Melilla and Nador are within the same bay; nearby is the Bou Areg Lagoon.
Melilla has a hot Mediterranean climate on the border with a hot Semi-arid climate, influenced by its proximity to the sea, rendering much cooler summers and more precipitation than inland areas deeper into Africa. The climate, in general, is similar to the southern coast of peninsular Spain and the northern coast of Morocco, with relatively small temperature differences between seasons. Minimum temperatures have never been below 0 °C (32 °F) during 1991-2020 period, and only 2.2 days per year have maximum temperature above 35 °C (95 °F).
The relief of Melilla is characterized by its variety, including a rocky peninsula, an elevated plateau, and a volcanic massif. The Melilla Peninsula, which extends into the Mediterranean Sea, is dominated by elevated terrain. To the southeast is the coastal lagoon of Mar Chica, and to the south lies the volcanic massif of Gurugú. The city's maximum altitude exceeds 200 meters above sea level. Melilla is built on a hill that gently slopes down towards the sea to the east, while the western area features more rugged terrain. The eastern coast has rocky cliffs with panoramic views of the sea. This diverse relief has influenced the urban layout, with the old town adapted to the irregularities of the land, while the more modern neighborhoods extend into the flatter areas.
The main river of Melilla is the Río de Oro, which originates in Mount Gurugú, in Morocco, where it is called the Río Meduar, southwest of the city. It flows into the bay of Melilla between the beaches of San Lorenzo and Los Cárabos.
The river remains dry for most of the year, only flowing when there are continuous rains, such as those on October 26, 2008, which washed away the Melilla fence and caused the Río de Oro and its streams to overflow. A small dam near the Melilla fence, on the Nano River, was also destroyed. The river flows in a roughly southwest-northeast direction and receives water from the left side from the Tigorfaten streams, the Cañada de la Muerte, the Nano River, and the Cabrerizas ravine. On the right, it receives water from the Farhana and Sidi-Guariach streams.
Pedogenesis is a synthetic process in which the rest of the natural factors, both biotic and abiotic, are involved.
Melilla features a mountainous geography and relief that influence the formation of its soils. The Mediterranean climate, with dry summers and mild winters, favors the development of calcareous and stony soils. The vegetation, mainly shrubs and scattered forests, contributes to the formation of humus, increasing fertility in certain areas.
The soils in Melilla include calcareous, stony, and clayey types, depending on the relief and altitude. Pedogenetic processes are marked by erosion, decomposition of organic matter, and the alkalinity of the soils due to the presence of limestone. However, human activities such as urbanization and agriculture have impacted these processes, leading to soil compaction and loss of fertility.
Biogeographically speaking, Melilla is part of the Holarctic Kingdom, specifically within the Mediterranean Region, Western Mediterranean Subregion.
In general terms, the typical vegetation of Melilla is Mediterranean forest, characterized by evergreen and xerophytic plants, adapted to the dry summer period. In the Rostrogordo Pine Forests, common species include the Pinus halepensis (Aleppo pine), Olea europaea (wild olive), Ficus benjamina (weeping fig), Trachycarpus fortunei (windmill palm), cypress, and Capsicum annuum (bell pepper). The dominant understory is made up of woody, spiny, and aromatic species: plants such as rosemary, thyme, and rockrose are very typical of Melilla.
The fauna of Melilla is closely linked to its natural environment, particularly to the vegetation that dominates the region. Despite the alterations caused by urban expansion and human impact, a surprising diversity of species has managed to adapt and survive in this territory.
Among the most representative species are reptiles such as the common chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) and the spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca), which are unique to the region and are considered endangered. The spur-thighed tortoise, in particular, has a historical connection with Melilla, as evidence of its presence has been found since ancient times. This species remains an important part of the local fauna, and its popularity in captivity reflects its close relationship with Melilla's culture.
The bird fauna is also very rich, with several species of birds of prey, both diurnal and nocturnal, such as the peregrine falcon, kestrel, and owl. Additionally, Melilla is a notable stopover for migratory birds, with more than 100 species recorded that pass through its skies during their journeys between Europe and Africa.
The marine ecosystem of Melilla also hosts species that are endangered, such as the loggerhead sea turtle and the bottlenose dolphin, although information about these ecosystems is limited. Moreover, its waters contain interesting species such as Mediterranean coral reefs and various marine invertebrates.
The city of Melilla has two protected areas classified as SACs (Special Areas of Conservation) within the Natura 2000 network:
The city has the following beaches: Aguadú Beach, Horcas Coloradas Beach, Alcazaba Beach, Galápagos Cove Beach, Trápana Cove Beach, San Lorenzo Beach, Carabos Beach, Hipodromo Beach, and Hipica Beach.
The government bodies stipulated in the Statute of Autonomy are the Assembly of Melilla, the President of Melilla and the Council of Government. The assembly is a 25-member body whose members are elected through universal suffrage every 4 years in closed party lists following the schedule of local elections at the national level. Its members are called "local deputies" but they rather enjoy the status of concejales (municipal councillors). Unlike regional legislatures (and akin to municipal councils), the assembly does not enjoy right of initiative for primary legislation.
The president of Melilla (who, often addressed as Mayor-President, also exerts the roles of Mayor, president of the Assembly, president of the Council of Government and representative of the city) is invested by the Assembly. After local elections, the president is invested through a qualified majority from among the leaders of the election lists, or, failing to achieve the former, the leader of the most voted list at the election is invested to the office. In case of a motion of no confidence the president can only be ousted with a qualified majority voting for an alternative assembly member.
The Council of Government is the traditional collegiate executive body for parliamentary systems. Unlike the municipal government boards in the standard ayuntamientos, the members of the Council of Government (including the vice-presidents) do not need to be members of the assembly.
Melilla is the city in Spain with the highest proportion of postal voting; vote buying (via mail-in ballots) is widely reported to be a common practice in the poor neighborhoods of Melilla. Court cases in this matter had involved the PP, the CPM and the PSOE.
On 15 June 2019, following the May 2019 Melilla Assembly election, the regionalist and left-leaning party of Muslim and Amazigh persuasion Coalition for Melilla (CPM, 8 seats), the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE, 4 seats) and Citizens–Party of the Citizenry (Cs, 1 seat) voted in favour of the Cs' candidate (Eduardo de Castro) as the Presidency of the Autonomous City, ousting Juan José Imbroda, from the People's Party (PP, 10 seats), who had been in office since 2000.
Melilla also maintains a local police force known as Policia Local de Melilla (Ciudad Autonoma de Melilla - Policia Local).
Melilla is subdivided into eight districts (distritos), which are further subdivided into neighbourhoods (barrios):
The gross domestic product (GDP) of the autonomous community was 1.6 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 0.1% of Spanish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 19,900 euros or 66% of the EU27 average in the same year. Melilla was the NUTS2 region with the lowest GDP per capita in Spain.
Melilla does not participate in the European Union Customs Union (EUCU). There is no VAT (IVA) tax, but a local reduced-rate tax called IPSI. Preserving the status of free port, imports are free of tariffs and the only tax concerning them is the IPSI. Exports to the Customs Union (including Peninsular Spain) are however subject to the correspondent customs tariff and are taxed with the correspondent VAT. There are some special manufacturing taxes regarding electricity and transport, as well as complementary charges on tobacco and oil and fuel products.
The principal industry is fishing. Cross-border commerce (legal or smuggled) and Spanish and European grants and wages are the other income sources.
Melilla is regularly connected to the Iberian peninsula by air and sea traffic and is also economically connected to Morocco: most of its fruit and vegetables are imported across the border. Moroccans in the city's hinterland are attracted to it: 36,000 Moroccans cross the border daily to work, shop or trade goods.
Melilla is a region where the Public Administrations, especially the Ministry of Defense, have a significant weight in the economy, accounting for a total of 47%, a circumstance it shares with Ceuta. In 2015, a Technology Center was inaugurated with the aim of promoting the development of ICT companies.
Melilla has developed a Strategic Comprehensive Plan with the aim of transforming its production model, focusing on three key sectors: tourism, the digital economy, and the green and circular economy. These sectors currently have a limited impact on the city, but they are considered to offer significant opportunities to diversify the economy and improve employment.
The tourism sector in Melilla has enormous potential due to its historical heritage and its ties with Morocco, but faces challenges such as high transportation costs and the lack of a clear strategy. The Strategic Plan proposes rehabilitating historical heritage for tourism purposes, developing an international promotion plan, and fostering financing for tourism businesses, as well as implementing a tourism resilience strategy to improve infrastructure and attract more visitors. Currently, Melilla has 10 hotel establishments and 838 beds, which represents a limited capacity. Although occupancy has increased, reaching 58% in 2023, there is a recognized need to improve hotel infrastructure. In this regard, the Autonomous City is working on several projects to expand the offer, such as converting the Governor's House into a hotel, the rehabilitation of the Parador, and the construction of a new hotel in the Explanada de San Lorenzo, in addition to offering subsidies to improve existing hotels, with the aim of strengthening the tourism sector, especially in the areas of conferences and events.
The plan seeks to strengthen the digital economy by modernizing the industrial fabric and SMEs, investing in digitalization, and improving the capabilities of businesses and workers. This would help diversify the economy, reduce dependence on the public sector, and take advantage of technological market opportunities.
To promote a sustainable economy, the Plan includes measures to improve waste recycling, boost energy self-consumption (through energy communities), and increase energy efficiency, particularly in the tourism sector. It also highlights projects such as marine conservation and improving the water supply.
The port of Melilla offers several daily connections to Almería and Málaga. Melilla Airport offers daily flights to Almería, Málaga and Madrid. Spanish operator Iberia Regional/Air Nostrum operate in Melilla's airport.
Many people travelling between Europe and Morocco use the ferry links to Melilla, both for passengers and for freight. Because of this, the port and related companies form an important economic driver for the city.
Melilla has been praised as an example of multiculturalism, being a small city in which one can find Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and Buddhists represented.
Percentagewise, Melilla may be the most Jewish city in Spain with around 1,000 Jews still living in the city, down from 7,000 around the year 1930 which is mainly due to economic reasons resulting in moving to the Spanish mainland, Israel or elsewhere. During the second half of the 19th century, many of Sephardic Jews moved from northern Morocco to Melilla. The first ones were traders from the Moroccan cities who came for economic and safety reasons. Later, impoverished Jews from the rural Riffian areas joined, also because of safety reasons.
According to the Spanish Center for Sociological Research, Roman Catholicism is the largest religion in Melilla. In 2019, the proportion of Melillans that identify themselves as Roman Catholic was 65.0% (31.7% define themselves as not practising, while 33.3% as practising). 30% identify as followers of other faiths, 2.7% identify as non-believers, and 2.3% identify as atheists.
The Roman Catholic churches in Melilla belong to the Diocese of Málaga.
Some sources indicate that Muslims account for roughly half the population in Melilla, which is in conflict with the Spanish Center for Sociological Research reported numbers.
There is a small, autonomous, and commercially important Hindu community present in Melilla, which has fallen over the past decades as its members move to the Spanish mainland and numbers about 100 members today.
Melilla features a diglossia, with Spanish as the first and official language and Tarifit as the second language, with limited written codification, and usage restricted to family and domestic relations and oral speech.
The population can be thus divided into monolingual Spanish speakers of European ethnic origin (without competence in any other language than those formally taught at school); those descended from Tamazight-speaking parents, usually bilingual in Spanish and Tamazight; and Moroccan immigrants and cross-border workers, with a generally dominant Tamazight language (with some also competent in Arabic) and a L2 competence in Spanish. The Spanish spoken in Melilla is similar to the Andalusian variety from Cádiz, whereas the Berber variant spoken in Melilla is the Tarifit common with the neighbouring Nador area. Rather than Berber (Spanish: bereber), Berber speakers in Melilla use either the glotonym Tmaziɣt, or, in Spanish, cherja for their language.
The first attempt to legislate a degree of recognition for Berber in Melilla was in 1994, in the context of the elaboration of the Statute of Autonomy, by mentioning the promotion of the linguistic and cultural pluralism (without explicitly mentioning the Berber language). The initiative went nowhere, voted down by PP and PSOE. Reasons cited for not recognizing Tamazight are related to the argument that the variety is not standardized.
The city is served by Melilla Airport. In 2024, it handled 507,957 passengers. The airport has a daily link with eleven cities in Spain. It's serviced by Air Nostrum, flying to the Spanish cities of Málaga, Madrid, Barcelona, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Palma de Mallorca, Granada, Sevilla, Santiago de Compostela, Tenerife, Asturias and Almería.
The Port of Melilla is the city's seaport, operating continuously at least since 1908. The port is one of the busiest ports on the Mediterranean Sea, with 646,836 passengers in 2023. The port has a ferry connection to the Port of Málaga, playing a role in the so-called Operación paso del estrecho ("Operation Pass of the Strait"), the planned seasonal transit of passengers during the summer months from Europe to North-Africa (and back to Europe).
The city is linked to Málaga, Almería and Motril by ferry.
Three roads connect Melilla and Morocco but require clearance through border checkpoints.
The city has a good bus network managed by the Cooperativa Ómnibus de Automóviles, which connects all districts of the city. The price of a single ticket is €0.90, paid directly to the driver upon boarding. For frequent travellers, a more economical option is to purchase a rechargeable Bonobús card, available at kiosks and tobacconists. This card allows you to take ten trips for approximately €8.50.
Prices vary depending on the rate accessed:
The energy supply to the city of Melilla aligns with the objectives established in the Action Plan for Climate and Energy (PACES) of the Autonomous City of Melilla.
The Melilla Power Plant, built between 1920 and 1925 by the Compañía Española de Minas del Rif (CEMR), initially provided electricity to the mineral loading dock, later selling power to Gaselec. It closed in 1963, was acquired by Endesa, and underwent several expansions over the years, including the installation of diesel engines in 1980 and a gas turbine in 1991. The plant's most recent upgrades include the addition of advanced MAN engines and Aggreko generators, boosting its power supply capacity. Since 2002, the plant has maintained an ISO 14001 certified environmental management system.
In 2020, the plant became the center of an innovative circular economy project involving the reuse of electric vehicle batteries for energy storage. The "Second Life Battery Energy Storage System" project, which won the BASF award for the best circular economy practice in Spain, allows the plant to store energy and ensure a stable power supply to the city in the event of failures. The plant uses fuel oil and diesel for its operations and sources water from the sea and the city's water supply network, with a wastewater treatment system in place.
Melilla's water supply primarily came from a network of dug wells (which by the turn of the 21st century suffered from overexploitation and had also experienced a degradation of the water quality and the intrusion of seawater), as well as the capture of the Río de Oro's underflow. Seeking to address the water supply problem, works for the construction of a desalination plant in the Aguadú cliffs, projected to produce 22,000 m (29,000 cu yd) a day, started in November 2003. The plant entered operation in March 2007. Its daily operation is partially funded by the central government. Relative to the Spanish average (and similarly to the Canary and Balearic Islands), the city's population spends a comparatively larger amount of money on bottled water.
Funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Confederación Hidrográfica del Guadalquivir [es], works for the expansion of the plant's production capabilities up to 30,000 m (39,000 cu yd) a day started by September 2020.
Valoriza (part of the Sacyr Group) is the municipal public cleaning company of the Melilla City Council. Founded in 1985, it is responsible for managing urban solid waste and cleaning public streets. The company employs 354 workers, operates 100 vehicles, has a central machinery park, six auxiliary cleaning parks, four clear points, a transfer station, a pneumatic waste collection system, and a comprehensive waste treatment center, in addition to its central offices. The annual budget of Valoriza exceeds 50 million euros.
The food supply in Melilla is primarily based on imports from the Iberian Peninsula and, to a lesser extent, on agreements with Morocco.
The supply of fruits, vegetables, fish, and meat in Melilla is mainly carried out through the Mercado Central (Central Market), as well as through large commercial retailers. This market is a key point for local trade and the daily supply of essential food for the population.
Education in Melilla falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education (Spain), which assumes regional and autonomous education responsibilities.
Melilla has a good number of nurseries, both public and private, and primary schools, which fall under the authority of the Melilla Autonomous City. Secondary schools are overseen by the Ministry of Education (Spain) through the Territorial Directorate of Education of Melilla, which includes the following schools: IES Leopoldo Queipo, IES Juan Antonio Fernández Pérez, IES Miguel Fernández, IES Enrique Nieto, IES Russadir, IES Virgen de la Victoria, and CIFP Reina Victoria Eugenia. In addition, there is the Special Education Center Reina Sofía, the Adult Education Center Carmen Conde Abellán, the Miguel Marmolejo Art School, and the concerted schools La Salle El Carmen, Enrique Soler, and Nuestra Señora del Buen Consejo (HH. Franciscanas de los SS.CC.).
Melilla has numerous educational centers for different educational levels, including public, concerted, and private institutions.
In the public school network, Melilla has 13 centers for early childhood and primary education, 7 secondary education centers, and 5 adult education centers.
The University of Granada is present in the city, with faculties in Education and Sport Sciences, Social and Legal Sciences, and Health Sciences. There is also an associated center of the National University of Distance Education and a Professional Music Conservatory.
Melilla is equipped with the Comarcal Hospital of Melilla, inaugurated in 1988. It also has four health centers, which are Centro, Zona Norte (Cabrerizas), Zona Oeste (Alfonso XIII), and Zona Este (Polavieja). The healthcare centers in the Health Area of Melilla are managed by Ingesa (National Institute of Health Management). Construction of the new University Hospital of Melilla began in 2009, with its inauguration scheduled for 2023. The healthcare centers in Melilla are insufficient as they are overcrowded due to the high demand for medical assistance from Moroccan citizens. Melilla has the highest emergency room usage rate in Spain due to the Moroccan citizens who cross the border daily, between 25,000 and 30,000, which overload the emergency services due to the legislation on universal healthcare in the National Health System. Despite the presence of hospitals in Nador, Berkane, Alhucemas, and Oujda in Morocco, they prefer the Comarcal Hospital in Melilla due to the free healthcare provided. Additionally, as children born in Spanish territory to Spanish parents obtain Spanish nationality, there is a significant influx of pregnant women, who sometimes travel recklessly. As a result, Melilla has the demographic peculiarities of being the city with the highest birth rate per capita and the youngest average age in Spain. These and other medical interventions in Melilla and Ceuta caused losses of 105 million euros in 2018.
In Melilla, the 112 Emergency system is operational. Through the free phone number 112, it addresses any emergency situation related to health emergencies, disasters, fire extinguishing, rescue, public safety, and civil protection.
The public safety strategy established in Melilla for large events involving the mobilization and gathering of people, such as the spring festivals of Holy Week and the Fair, or high-risk football matches such as those with the highest local rivalry, or other high-tension and interest events, is planned by an organization called the Center for Operational Coordination of the Melilla City Hall (Cecop). Its contact number is 112, and it includes the participation of the security forces of the National Police, Local Police, Civil Protection, and Firefighters. In addition to the members of Cecop, the maintenance of public safety involves other entities in their specific competencies and responsibilities, such as the Civil Guard, Red Cross, and the emergency medical service known as 061. Additionally, the Superior Police Headquarters of Melilla of the National Police Corps and the Melilla Command, the Melilla Rural Company, and the C.O.S. of the Civil Guard play key roles in public safety.
The Melilla General Command is a unit of the Spanish Army, responsible for the defense and security of the autonomous city of Melilla and its area of influence. It is made up of the following military units:
The social services provided in the city of Melilla include the provision of protection, guardianship, and social promotion services for individuals or groups in disadvantaged situations, both from local, autonomous community, or private charitable entities, such as Caritas, Red Cross, or other NGOs. The Autonomous City classifies social services into community and specialized services.
The Community Social Services in Melilla are managed by the Social Welfare and Solidarity Department of the City Hall. The social services offered are divided into four distinct action groups: the Social Information, Orientation, and Evaluation Service (SIVO), the Social Coexistence and Reintegration Service (CORE), the Home Assistance Service, the Social Cooperation Service, and the Dependency Care Service.
The Specialized Social Services address more specific and detailed needs and are developed in three lines of action: homelessness and immigrants (COIS), slum population, and emergency situations. These specialized services are divided into the care of the following population groups: elderly, disabled, children and families, homeless individuals, drug addicts, and immigrants.
The Melilla en Red project consists of the establishment of 5 Wi-Fi zones providing free and wireless access to Internet. Currently, 21 Wi-Fi points are operational, available in eleven public buildings (the assembly, library, cultural classrooms for seniors, the Exhibition and Congress Palace, or the Javier Imbroda Pavilion) and ten public spaces in the city (Lobera Park, Hernández Park, San Lorenzo Multifunctional Square, Noray Port, Spain Square, or the Plaza de las Culturas). The navigation speed is slow, but in Melilla, access to all pages is available.
It was built between the 16th and 19th century, following models from the Renaissance to the bastions of the Hispano-Flemish school built during the Bourbon period. It features a walled city initially constructed by Italian engineers and later by Spaniards and professionals from the Netherlands.
In the 18th century, its walls were reformed, and a series of bastions and buildings were constructed, reflecting the Spanish kings' interest in its defense.
They are built with local stone for the walls and brick for the arches and vaults, using outdated fortification techniques, incapable of withstanding modern artillery. The Riffian tribes, the enemy from which they were supposed to defend Melilla, did not have artillery.
These are a set of fortifications, forts not connected to each other and separated by considerable distances, built in the second half of the 19th century in a neomedieval style that is more graceful than threatening, overflowing with beauty. In some cases, they are painted in bright colors, like orange, making them seem more like game elements than defensive structures.
From the end of the 19th century, a period of splendor began, resulting in a modern city.
Melilla is, after Barcelona, the city with the greatest representation of Modernist architecture in Spain and the greatest representation of Modernism on the African continent. Hundreds of buildings (more than 500 are cataloged) are spread across the central expansion and its neighborhoods. This modern area is also protected as a Cultural Heritage site and contains numerous buildings by an architect from the School of Barcelona based in Melilla, Enrique Nieto y Nieto, who created a large modernist work, following the architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. His floral modernist buildings stand out. Other modernist authors in Melilla include Emilio Alzugaray Goicoechea and Tomás Moreno Lázaro.
In the 1930s, Art Deco took hold in Melilla's architecture, with architects such as Francisco Hernanz Martínez and Lorenzo Ros Costa creating spectacular buildings in the city's neighborhoods.
It also features historicist and eclectic buildings.
It is the main cemetery of the Spanish city of Melilla. Located in the Plaza del Cementerio, at the end of Cañada del Agua, it began construction in 1890, under the project of Commander of Engineers Eligio Suza and contractor Manuel Fernández. It was inaugurated on January 1, 1892, and blessed by Vicar Juan Verdejo.
The first corpse buried there was that of Francisco López López, a four-month-old child.
There are the Plaza de España, Plaza Heroes de España, Plaza Menéndez Pelayo, and Plaza Comandante Benítez.
It is the most important park in Melilla, created in 1902 in a trapezoidal shape according to the design of engineer Vicente García del Campo, and is located in Plaza de España.
It is named after its founder, Cándido Lobera Girela, who, when he was president of the Junta de Arbitrios, created this park to prevent the construction of shanties on his land.
It is a natural space of six hectares considered a botanical lung of the city. It is a popular place for walking, exercising, and enjoying family time, known for its rich Mediterranean flora and diverse fauna, especially birds and reptiles. Historically, the park was an agricultural farm used to experiment with species suitable for cultivation in the protectorate. Although it has undergone changes over time, the park remains an important space for biodiversity conservation.
It was inaugurated in 1992 in honor of Agustín Jerez Rodríguez. Covering an area of half a hectare, it is known for its collection of Canary palm trees, date palms, and washingtonias. The Canary palms, considered a unique heritage of the city, have high ornamental value and are threatened by the red palm weevil, an invasive species. In addition to its flora, the park is home to wildlife such as black starlings and common starlings.
Inaugurated in 2006, they span 0.6 hectares near the mouth of the Río de Oro. The park features rows of Canary palm trees, fountains with lighting effects, and a variety of plants such as cacti, succulents, and agaves. A central fountain with a sculpture of a woman who is half human and half mermaid stands out, illuminated at night, making it a visual attraction both during the day and at night.
The dome of the Chapel of Santiago, built in the mid-16th century by Miguel de Perea with help from Sancho de Escalante, is a rare instance of Gothic architecture in the African continent.
Parallel to the urban development of Melilla in the early 20th century, the new architectural style of modernismo (irradiated from Barcelona and associated to the bourgeois class) was imported to the city, granting it a modernista architectural character, primarily through the works of the prolific Catalan architect Enrique Nieto.
Accordingly, Melilla has the second most important concentration of Modernista works in Spain after Barcelona, Mainly concentrated in the city's ensanche. Nieto was in charge of designing the main Synagogue, the Central Mosque and various Catholic Churches.
Also notable are sculptural elements, such as those erected to commemorate the heroes of the campaigns in Morocco: Monumento a los Héroes de Taxdirt (1910) and the Monumento a los Héroes y Mártires de las Campañas (1927-1931), those from the Francoist regime, like the Monumento a los Héroes de España (1941) or the Statue of Francisco Franco and other contemporary pieces, Homenaje al Modernismo Melillense, Monumento a Pedro de Estopiñán y Virués, Encuentros, and Homenaje a Fernando Arrabal.
The painting of Melilla has been strongly influenced by its multicultural environment, with a variety of artistic styles. Notable among its artists is Eduardo Morillas, renowned for his connection to the city's history and landscape, capturing the light, colours, and modernist architecture of Melilla. His work blends contemporary art with local traditions, contributing to the recognition of Melilla as an artistic hub. Also noteworthy is the work of Carlos Baeza, particularly his series La Ciudad de las Cúpulas, which highlights the modernist architecture. Furthermore, the Museum of Contemporary Art houses a representative collection of the city's artistic evolution by Victorio Manchón.
The most prominent authors from Melilla include Miguel Fernández González, Fernando Arrabal, Juan Guerrero Zamora, Carmen Conde, among others.
Each year, the Melilla City Council awards the Premio Internacional de Poesía Ciudad de Melilla, which was established in 1979 in honour of Miguel Fernández, the city's most distinguished poet.
In Melilla, there are several museums including the Melilla Museum, located in the Almacenes de las Peñuelas, the Archaeological and Historical Museum and the Sephardic and Berber Museum, the Melilla Military Museum, at the Baluarte de la Concepción Alta, the Sacred Art Museum with access to the Conventico Caves, the Museo Casa del Reloj, at the Torre de la Vela, the Museum of Arts and Popular Traditions of Melilla, at the Association of Melilla Studies, the Gaselec Electricity Museum, the Melilla Automobile Museum.
The History, Archaeology, and Ethnography Museum of Melilla, located in the Almacenes de las Peñuelas, is divided into two main sections: one dedicated to the cultures of the gypsy, Sephardic, and Amazigh peoples, and the other to the history of the city from prehistory to the modern era. Its origins date back to the 20th century, with the collection of archaeological pieces, and it has changed locations several times before settling into its current site in 2011. Among its collections are objects from the Berber, Sephardic, and Gypsy cultures, as well as archaeological findings like Carthaginian and Nasrid coins, and a model of Melilla La Vieja.
The Military Museum of Melilla, inaugurated in 1997, is located in the Baluarte de la Concepción Alta in Melilla La Vieja. It originated from an exhibition on military history held during the city's Fifth Centennial, and its collection includes military uniforms, models, dioramas, an Enigma machine, and a saddle of Queen Isabel II. It also features cannons and mortars on its artillery platforms, along with temporary exhibits in its upper gallery.
The Sacred Art Museum of Melilla, located in the former Franciscan Convent in the First Walled Enclosure of Melilla La Vieja, was created with the collaboration of the City of Melilla, the Diocese of Málaga, the Episcopal Vicariate of Melilla, the city's brotherhoods and fraternities, and the Melilla Monumental Foundation. The museum also provides access to the Conventico Caves. Among its notable pieces is the Custodia del Sol.
The Clock House Museum of Melilla, located in the Tower of the Vela, in the First Walled Enclosure of Melilla La Vieja, was established through the donation of part of the collection of the Almerian artist Andrés García Ibáñez to the City of Melilla. It also showcases part of his own art collection.
The museum has six rooms covering various periods, starting from the 18th century, and presents styles such as 19th-century Realism, New Figuration, and Spanish Photographic Documentarism. It also features sculptures by artists like Juan López, Emilio Manescau Baccarelli, Félix Alonso, and Mustafa Arruf, as well as paintings by Vicente Maeso Cayuela, Victorio Manchón, Carlos Monserrate, Eduardo Morillas, and Francisco Hernández.
The Egyptian Museum of Melilla is a museum dedicated to Egyptian art located in the Spanish city of Melilla. Opened in 2021, it is one of only two Egyptian art museums in Spain, alongside the one in Barcelona. The museum is spread over three floors, where various collections related to Ancient Egyptian civilization are displayed, including pieces of great historical and cultural value. This space offers a detailed view of Egyptian history, culture, and art, making it an important cultural reference in the city.
The Gaselec Electricity and Industry Museum was founded in 1997 by Gustavo Cabanillas, president of the Hispano-Moroccan Gas and Electricity Company, renamed in 2003 as Melillense de Gas y Electricidad (GASELEC). In 2004, the museum was integrated into the Gaselec Foundation.
The museum consists of several sections: the Technical Room and Warehouse, the Office, which displays early 20th-century furniture, and the Industry Museum, which shows the company's forging process.
The Automobile Museum of Melilla is open by appointment only. It was created by collector Miguel Ángel Hernández, who had a great interest in cars since 1970, with the collaboration of historian Juan Díez Sánchez and other contributors such as José Nieto Egea, José Miguel Fernández, and Federico Navajas.
The museum houses an exhibition of 35 cars, 12 motorcycles, and 2 with sidecars, showcasing an important collection of historic vehicles.
The exhibition halls at the Hospital del Rey of the Gaselec Foundation, the Vicente Manchón at the Federico García Lorca Cultural Center, and the Royal Maritime Club of Melilla.
In Melilla, there is the Theatre Kursaal-Fernando Arrabal, under the Ministry of Culture of the Autonomous City of Melilla, and the Exhibition and Congress Palace, under the Melilla Tourism Board, which hosts the main theater, dance, musical performances, and shows in the city. The Perelló Theater-Cinema is the only commercial cinema in Melilla, operating since 1932. In the summer, concerts are held in Melilla la Vieja, the Carvajal Auditorium, and the fairgrounds, featuring both national and international artists. Throughout the year, there is a lot of activity from local musical groups, mainly in private venues and bars.
The Theatre Kursaal is the venue for the Melilla Film Week, one of the city's most significant cultural events. Since 2009, Spanish film stars have gathered annually, and the José Sacristán Award for Cinematic Career is presented.
During the celebration of the Melilla Fair in September, the streets are transformed into traditional symbols of Spanish culture and history, with sweet wine, tapas, and live flamenco shows. The day events consist of dancing, live music (such as flamenco) and bullfights at Plaza de Toros de Melilla, while the night fair is moved to the Recinto Ferial, consisting of restaurants, clubs, and an entire fair ground with rides and games.
The Melilla Film Week (Semana de Cine de Melilla), dedicated exclusively to films produced in Spain is held annually during a week in March or April.
Charles V Renaissance Market is a festive event that takes place in Melilla la Vieja, recreating a medieval market for three days. It is held annually, on the first weekend of July.
The city's football club, UD Melilla, plays in the third tier of Spanish football, the Segunda División B. The club was founded in 1943 and since 1945 have played at the 12,000-seater Estadio Municipal Álvarez Claro. Until the other club was dissolved in 2012, UD Melilla played the Ceuta-Melilla derby against AD Ceuta. The clubs travelled to each other via the Spanish mainland to avoid entering Morocco. The second-highest ranked club in the city are Casino del Real CF of the fourth-tier Tercera División. The football's governing institution is the Melilla Football Federation.
Club Melilla Baloncesto is the main basketball team in the city. Founded in 1984, the team competes in LEB Oro, the second tier of Spanish basketball, just below the ACB League. Melilla Baloncesto has been a competitive team within this league, having played several promotion phases to the ACB over the years. The team plays its home games at the Pabellón Municipal de Deportes Javier Imbroda, which has a capacity of around 5,000 spectators. This pavilion is the heart of the Melilla fanbase, who passionately support the local team at every game. Although the club has not yet achieved promotion to the ACB, it has been a constant contender in the LEB Oro, regularly participating in the playoffs and demonstrating a high level of play. Additionally, Melilla Baloncesto has been successful in developing young players and providing a platform for talents who have later excelled in other competitions. Similar to football, matchups against other LEB Oro teams, such as Club Ourense Baloncesto or Cáceres Ciudad del Baloncesto, often generate significant excitement due to the rivalry and the competitive nature of both clubs in the league.
The importance of bullfighting in Melilla dates back to 1946, the year of the first bullfight in the city, when the construction of the Melilla Bullring was still unfinished. The official inauguration of the bullring took place a year later.
The traditional cuisine of Melilla is very diverse. It is part of the Mediterranean diet, based on olive oil, cereals, legumes, vegetables, fish, nuts, and meat, as well as a long-standing tradition of wine consumption. Additionally, it has a unique blend of Spanish, Riffian, Andalusian, Maghrebi, and Sephardic influences, resulting in a rich and varied cuisine full of intense flavours and traditions from different cultures. Some of the most representative dishes of Melilla are:
This culinary diversity reflects the rich cultural heritage of Melilla, blending ingredients and techniques from both Mediterranean and African cuisines.
Some of the most notable novels set in Melilla include:
The most important TV series filmed and set in Melilla include:
Melilla has been the setting for several films:
Some of the most well-known songs dedicated to Melilla include:
In addition to the national newspapers, there are two local newspapers: Melilla Hoy and El Faro.
All national television channels are broadcast, including the public Andalusian channel, Canal Sur Televisión. The city also has two local channels, Televisión Melilla and Popular TV, as well as a studio of Radio Televisión Española, which broadcasts news.
All national radio stations can be tuned in, which have local editions, including COPE, Onda Cero, and others.
The defence of the enclave is the responsibility of the Spanish Armed Forces' General Command of Melilla. The Spanish Army's combat components of the command include:
The command also includes its headquarters battalion as well as logistics elements.
In addition to the defence of Melilla, the garrison is also responsible for the defence of islands and rock formations claimed by Spain off the coast of Morocco. Units of the garrison are deployed to these rock formations to secure them against Moroccan incursions and did so notably during the Perejil Island crisis in 2002. To enhance coastal security, the Spanish Navy based a dedicated patrol boat (Isla Pinto) in Melilla from mid-2023. Melilla itself is about 350 kilometres (220 mi) distant from the main Spanish naval base at Rota on the Spanish mainland while the Spanish Air Force's Morón Air Base is within 300 kilometres (190 mi) proximity.
The Civil Guard is responsible for border security and protects both the territory's fortified land border against frequent, and sometimes significant, migrant incursions.
Melilla forms a sort of trans-border urban conurbation with limited integration together with the neighbouring Moroccan settlements, located at one of the ends of a linear succession of urban sprawl spanning southward in Morocco along the R19 road from Beni Ensar down to Nador and Selouane. The urban system features a high degree of hierarchization, specialization and division of labour, with Melilla as chief provider of services, finance and trade; Nador as an eminently industrial city whereas the rest of Moroccan settlements found themselves in a subordinate role, presenting agro-town features and operating as providers of workforce.
The asymmetry, as reflected for example in the provision of healthcare, has fostered situations such as the large-scale use of the Melillan health services by Moroccan citizens, with Melilla attending a number of urgencies more than four times the standard for its population in 2018. In order to satisfy the workforce needs of Melilla (mainly in areas such as domestic service, construction and cross-border bale workers, often under informal contracts), Moroccan inhabitants of the province of Nador were granted exemptions from visa requirements to enter the autonomous city. This development in turn induced a strong flux of internal migration from other Moroccan provinces to Nador, in order to acquire the aforementioned exemption.
The 'fluid' trans-border relations between Melilla and its surroundings are however not free from conflict, as they are contingent upon the 'tense' trans-national relations between Morocco and Spain.
Following the increasing influx of Algerian and sub-Saharan irregular migrants into Ceuta and Melilla in the early 1990s, a process of border fortification in both cities ensued after 1995 to reduce the border's permeability, a target attained to some degree by 1999, although peak level of fortification was reached in 2005.
Melilla's border with Morocco is secured by the Melilla border fence, a 6 metres (20 ft) tall double fence with watch towers; yet migrants (in groups of tens or sometimes hundreds) storm the fence and manage to cross it from time to time. Since 2005, at least 14 migrants have died trying to cross the fence. The Melilla migrant reception centre was built with a capacity of 480. In 2020 works to remove the barbed wire from the top of the fence (meanwhile raising its height up to more than 10 metres (33 ft) in the stretches most susceptible to breaches) were commissioned to Tragsa [es].
In June 2022, at least 23 sub-Saharan migrants and two Moroccan security personnel were killed when around 2,000 migrants stormed the border. The death toll has been estimated to be as high as 37 by certain NGOs. Around 200 Spanish and Moroccan law enforcement officers and at least 76 migrants were injured. Hundreds of migrants succeeded in breaching the fence, and 133 made it across the border. Widely circulated footage showed dozens of motionless migrants piled together. It was the worst such incident in Melilla's history. The United Nations, the African Union and a number of human rights groups condemned what they deemed excessive force used by Moroccan and Spanish border guards, although no lethal weapons were employed, and the deaths were later attributed to "mechanical asphyxiation".
Morocco has been paid tens of million euros by both Spain and the European Union to outsource the EU migration control. Besides the double fence in the Spanish side of the border, there is an additional 3 metres (9.8 ft) high fence entirely made of razor wire lying on the Moroccan side as well as a moat in between.
The Moroccan government has repeatedly called for Spain to transfer the sovereignty of Melilla, Ceuta and the plazas de soberanía to Morocco, with Spain's refusal to do so serving as a major source of tension in Morocco–Spain relations. In Morocco, Ceuta is frequently referred to as the "occupied Sebtah", and the Moroccan government has argued that the city, along with other Spanish territories in the region, are colonies. One of the major arguments used by Morocco in their attempts to acquire sovereignty over Melilla refers to the geographical position of the city, as Melilla is an exclave surrounded by Moroccan territory and the Mediterranean Sea and has no territorial continuity with the rest of Spain. This argument was originally developed by one of the founders of the Moroccan Istiqlal Party, Alal-El Faasi, who openly advocated for Morocco to invade and occupy Melilla and other North African territories under Spanish rule. Spain, in line with the majority of nations in the rest of the world, has never recognized Morocco's claim over Melilla. The official position of the Spanish government is that Melilla is an integral part of Spain, and has been since the 16th century, centuries prior to Morocco's independence from Spain and France in 1956. The majority of Melilla's population support continued Spanish sovereignty and are opposed to Moroccan control over the territory.
In 1986, Spain joined NATO. However, Melilla is not under NATO protection since Article 6 of the North Atlantic Treaty limits such coverage to Europe and North America and islands north of the Tropic of Cancer. However, French Algeria was explicitly included in the treaty upon France's entry. Legal experts have claimed that other articles of the treaty could cover Spanish territories in North Africa but this interpretation has not been tested in practice. During the 2022 Madrid summit, the issue of the protection of Melilla was raised by Spain, with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stating: "On which territories NATO protects and Ceuta and Melilla, NATO is there to protect all Allies against any threats. At the end of the day, it will always be a political decision to invoke Article 5, but rest assured NATO is there to protect and defend all Allies". On 21 December 2020, following statements made by Moroccan Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani that Melilla is "Moroccan as the Sahara", the Spanish government summoned the Moroccan ambassador, Karima Benyaich, to convey that Spain expects all its partners to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its territory in Africa and asked for an explanation for Othmani's words.
Melilla is twinned with: