Key actors — tap for context
Felipe VI.
Spanish king
Why here: as the first Spanish king in 19 years, visited Ceuta and Melilla and is also spending the night in Ceuta
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Pedro Sánchez
Spanish prime minister
Why here: confirmed the entry of Moroccan ships and dissolved parliament, elections are November 29
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Mohamed VI.
Moroccan king
Why here: said on October 9 that cooperation with Madrid cannot be subject to pressure or blackmail
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Santiago Abascal
leader of the Vox party
Why here: skipped the military parade and went to Ceuta, which he says remains "invadida," meaning invaded
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Ceuta
Spanish autonomous city in North Africa
Why here: site of the July mass crossing of tens of thousands of people and the royal visit
More info →What Sánchez confirmed
El País reported on October 12 that Moroccan warships had sailed into Ceuta's waters during the mass migrant crossing. According to eldiario.es, it involved at least one frigate and several patrol boats that moved through Spanish waters in late July and early August. According to the same source, Sánchez confirmed this in an informal conversation with journalists at a reception for the national holiday. He said the days had been "very intense and very difficult" and that the incidents were resolved through dialogue between the armed forces of both countries. He did not explain why the ships had sailed in. eldiario.es ↗ According to the same text, the Spanish navy sent the patrol boat Rayo, which arrived in Ceuta on August 3, along with the frigates Santa María and Navarra.A report by public broadcaster RTVE from October 12 on the Moroccan ships entering Ceuta's waters (in Spanish, 2 min). RTVE cites more than 70,000 migrants, while eldiario.es says 80,000.
The right-wing El Español claims Sánchez concealed the ships' entry for 74 days El Español ↗ and that he omitted this information before Congress. El Español ↗ This is the newspaper's interpretation; Sánchez says the incidents were resolved through dialogue. Madrid mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida of the People's Party is asking whether Morocco could have been unaware of the ships' movements. eldiario.es ↗
The city from which the camps disappeared
Police and the army cleared the last major camp on El Guano beach on Sunday. eldiario.es ↗ According to 20 Minutos, the government considers the clearing of the settlements complete and cites 12,000 returns since August, but authorities warn that operations continue in the streets and neighborhoods. 20 Minutos ↗ Le Monde writes that migrants conveniently vanished from sight ahead of the visit, although thousands are still sleeping outdoors or in emergency centers. Le Monde ↗ According to El Español, residents warn that thousands of people are hidden in neighborhoods and on the hills. El Español ↗The clearing of the El Guano camp on Sunday, October 11, as filmed by La Vanguardia (in Spanish, 2 min).
What awaits Rabat
The year 2007 is exactly the precedent Madrid fears. Mohamed VI then recalled the ambassador for consultations as early as November 2, ahead of Juan Carlos's trip to Ceuta and Melilla, and publicly condemned it on November 7, after the visit. The crisis lasted about two months. For now, Rabat has announced no measures, and Mohamed VI has not explicitly condemned the visit. eldiario.es ↗ On October 9, the king said that cooperation with Madrid should not be subject to "any pressure, threat or blackmail," and criticized Spanish laws that make deportations difficult. He also announced a new cooperation strategy. eldiario.es ↗ According to eldiario.es, a Moroccan website close to power circles called the trip a "declared provocation," though this is not an official palace position. eldiario.es ↗ El Español writes about protests outside the Spanish consulate in Agadir and at the border crossing in Castillejos. El Español ↗Moreover, according to eldiario.es, since August several Moroccan officials have revived territorial claims, among them then-Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi, who spoke of "historical and geographical rights." eldiario.es ↗
Politics ahead of the elections
Sánchez was booed at the parade on October 12. La Vanguardia ↗ Vox leader Santiago Abascal skipped the parade and went to Ceuta, which he says remains "invadida," meaning invaded. La Vanguardia ↗ El País, meanwhile, writes that after two months the EU has stood behind Spain, sending Rabat the message that the autonomous cities are part of the Union. El País ↗ El Mundo, however, reports growing concern in Brussels, because the government has not adopted the decree it had planned and will no longer adopt it during the campaign, meaning legislative steps to manage the crisis and speed up migrant returns will be delayed by months. El Mundo ↗Read also: Ceuta: Trampolín beach cleared ahead of king's visit, judge sees evidence against senior officials
Limits of this view
Spanish media are polarized on this topic: El Español and ABC are sharply opposed to the government, while El País and eldiario.es are less critical of it. The claim about 74 days of concealment comes from El Español; Sánchez's remark was made informally, not as an official statement. We did not have the full El País and El Mundo texts, so we rely on their headlines and secondary coverage. The figures (80,000 crossings, 12,000 returns) come from the media and the government, not independent verification. We found no official Moroccan statement regarding the ships.What hotinfo is watching
- Morocco recalled its ambassador or took other measures in response to the king's visit
- Madrid or Brussels officially explained why the Moroccan ships entered Ceuta's waters
- The government adopted legislative measures on the crisis and returns of migrants before the election
- A new mass crossing or larger protests took place in Ceuta or at the border
*Illustrative photo: the city hall building (Ayuntamiento) in Ceuta (Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).*
