Spain’s King Felipe to visit Ceuta and Melilla amid tensions with Morocco

Madrid, Spain. King Felipe and Queen Letizia will visit the disputed North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on October 13 and 14, royal household sources said on Thursday. The visit could further strain relations between Madrid and Rabat following a border crisis this summer.

First visit during Felipe’s reign

The trip will be Felipe’s first to the enclaves during his 12-year reign. It comes just over two months after more than 72,000 migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco in late July.

Morocco has historically opposed Spanish royal visits to the two cities, claiming sovereignty over them and regarding them as occupied by Spain. Madrid considers the strategic outposts an integral part of Spanish territory. Ceuta has been part of Spain since the 17th century and Melilla since the 15th century.

Morocco’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the planned visit.

King calls for European solidarity

Felipe, Spain’s ceremonial head of state, has largely refrained from publicly commenting on the Ceuta crisis since it began. He first mentioned the enclave two weeks ago, praising civil protection workers there.

At an official dinner on Tuesday for French President Emmanuel Macron, who was on a state visit to Spain, Felipe said European countries should have shown greater solidarity with Madrid. He described the situation in Ceuta as “unacceptable.”

Dispute over Morocco’s role

Political debate in Spain since the border surge has largely focused on Morocco’s precise role in the crisis. Opposition parties have accused Moroccan officials of complicity or inaction and criticised Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for being too soft on Rabat.

Sanchez initially praised Morocco for cooperating in the repatriation of migrants and repeatedly denied that Rabat had orchestrated the crisis. In an interview with CNN last week, however, he said Morocco’s border controls had failed during the surge.

Morocco has denied any laxness, blaming the crossings on social media disinformation, human traffickers and the misinterpretation of a Spanish court ruling that appeared to open a legal loophole for arrivals by sea.