Spanish King’s Visit to Ceuta and Melilla Tests Ties with Morocco
Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia will visit the disputed North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on October 13 and 14, according to sources in the Spanish royal household. It will be Felipe’s first visit to the two cities during his 12-year reign and comes more than two months after a major migrant surge into Ceuta from Morocco.
Morocco claims sovereignty over both enclaves and has historically opposed Spanish royal visits there, while Madrid considers them integral parts of Spanish territory. Relations between the two countries have come under renewed pressure following the border crisis. Felipe recently described the situation in Ceuta as “unacceptable” and said European countries should have shown greater solidarity with Spain.
The precise role of Morocco in the border surge has become a subject of political debate in Spain. Opposition parties have questioned the government’s approach to Rabat, while Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said Moroccan border controls failed during the crisis, after previously denying that Morocco had deliberately orchestrated the crossings. Morocco has rejected accusations of lax border controls, attributing the surge to social media disinformation, human traffickers and confusion over a Spanish court ruling.
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