Amid the Ceuta crisis, the Spanish government considered turning to Felipe VI to open a direct channel with Mohammed VI. A minister sounded out the Royal Household about whether it would be appropriate to call the Moroccan sovereign. The idea was ultimately abandoned.
Morocco says that the status of Ceuta and Melilla is regularly discussed with Spain. Madrid responds that its territorial integrity has never been discussed and never will be. Two difficult-to-reconcile versions of the same diplomatic dialogue.
Military personnel assigned to Ceuta must interrupt their holidays and return to the city starting August 13. Some are currently in mainland Spain or abroad, in some cases after saving all year for a few days with their families.
Felipe VI has committed to visiting Ceuta following the recent migration crisis. No date has yet been set, but the last visit by a Spanish sovereign to the city had triggered serious diplomatic tensions with Morocco.
Hassan II allegedly stated in 1998 that Morocco was ready to go to war to recover Sebta and Melilla. José María Aznar says he replied that Spain would win such a confrontation.
A few days after dozens of migrants died while attempting to reach Ceuta, a new date is circulating on Facebook and WhatsApp . Young Moroccans are discussing a collective attempt on 15 August, despite calls not to repeat the tragedy.
The Ceuta crisis could lead the European Union to provide Morocco with more resources. Brussels is proposing to strengthen its financial and technical support for Rabat to better monitor the border and prevent another mass arrival.
Faced with the massive arrival of MREs heading to Morocco, the port of Algeciras temporarily suspended the boarding of freight trucks in order to reserve more space for cars on the ferries.
Google Maps continues to draw the borders of Ceuta and Melilla with dotted lines. This representation, reserved for disputed territorial boundaries, regularly brings Morocco’s claim back to the center of the debate in Spain.
Morocco says that misleading information convinced some would-be migrants that reaching Sebta by swimming would protect them from immediate return. Smuggling networks allegedly exploited this confusion.
An opinion piece published in Spain imagines an agreement on co-sovereignty with Morocco , followed ten years later by the complete transfer of Ceuta and Melilla to the Kingdom. A scenario that remains fictional, but which brings this possibility into the Spanish debate.
The migration crisis in Sebta has triggered a new diplomatic clash between Madrid and Tel Aviv. Israel’s ambassador to the UN attacked Spain over its presence in Sebta and Melilla, prompting a response from a Spanish minister.