The "Parsley War" - much noise about (almost) nothing...


On July 18, 2002, the so-called "Parsley War" between Spain and Morocco ends, just as all wars should end - namely without firing a shot and without dead! There are only six prisoners of war, but they are released shortly afterwards.

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.





On July 11, 2002, the Marokkan army deposed six soldiers on the island - with the official decision to set up a post to better monitor illegal migrants and drug smuggling, as well as to ward off terrorism.

Besides - and that weighed much more heavily! - 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, which had 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. Since 1975 Morocco has unsuccessfully demanded the transfer of the Spanish exclaves in North Africa to Ceuta and Melilla. These demands were made rather half-heartedly as long as relations between the two states were good.

However, relations between the two countries had cooled significantly under the Spanish government of the judicial Prime Minister Aznar. There was a dispute over fishing rights and illegal immigrants from Morocco.



In addition, the Spanish government planned, as it also admitted, to replace Moroccan harvest workers with - even cheaper - from Eastern Europe. The Moroccan government now saw a good opportunity to take revenge on Spain, which was economically and militarily superior, but apparently did not expect Spain to react.

Wrong calculation!


Spain remembered Maggie Thatcher and the conflict over the Islas Malvinas (or Falklands Islands) and went blank!


After July 13, 2002, Spanish troop reinforcements followed in the region around Ceuta and Melilla by 1,200 marines as well as reinforcement of the fleet in the Strait of Gibraltar.
The Guided missile frigates "Navarra" (F85) ...



... and "Numancia" (F83) arrived in Ceuta on July 15th, 2002.

The ships L52 "Castilla" equipped for amphibious warfare and the older corvette, later classified as a patrol ship P78 "Cazadora", as well as an anti-aircraft missile battery were ordered to Ceuta for reinforcement.

(One probably also remembered in Spain the devastating effect that the Argentine Exocet missiles had against British ships ...)

The multipurpose frigate "Baleares" (F71) was added to the Strait of Gibraltar for reinforcement.



... the corvette Infanta Elena (P76) and two submarines relocated. Numerous reconnaissance flights began with helicopters of the type AS.532 Cougar and fighter planes of the type F-18.

On July 16, 2002, Spain ordered its ambassador, Fernando Arias-Salgado, back from the Moroccan capital 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 across the island.

The six lonely Moroccan soldiers, who did not even have a boat, had no choice but to watch this huge march of things not achieved.



On July 17, 2002 around 28 soldiers of the elite unit Bandera de Operaciones Especiales Legionarias (BOEL) from Alicante stormed ...



... the islet, supported by six helicopters - so one attack helicopter came for every Moroccan soldier ...







The Moroccans were smart enough not to die the heroic death for Parsley Island, but tossed their rifles away, raised their hands and allowed themselves to be captured without resistance...:








The Spanish military action came as a complete surprise, especially since the government in Madrid had announced a few days earlier that it wanted to settle the conflict diplomatically.

As quickly as they had triumphed in the occupation of Patersilien Island, the Spanish lost the subsequent negotiations to end the conflict!

Madrid did not manage to substantiate its claims to the island with documents (the island was so unimportant that it was not mentioned in any treaty or document), the Spanish soldiers finally had to vacate the island again.



The Spanish government said on July 18 that it would withdraw its soldiers if Morocco promised not to reoccupy the island. Spain offered Morocco to carry out joint patrols by the Guardia Civil and the Moroccan gendarmerie on the island to combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

In the course of the conflict there were neither injuries nor firefights. Afterwards, neither the Spanish nor the Moroccan governments undertook any further provocations, probably under pressure from the international community.

And the sheep that are grazed there have their rest again ...

Excellent! You know, I don't recall this at all. Maybe it didn't hit the UK media. I know there has been continuing aggravation over Ceuta and Melilla

Phil.