Last Ceuta Migrant Camp Removed Ahead of Spanish King's Visit
Police removed the final informal camp as authorities prepared a royal visit meant to signal support for a city still strained by a migration surge.
- On Sunday, Spanish police and soldiers cleared the El Guano esplanade, the last major migrant encampment in Ceuta, with over 350 officers moving residents to reception centres; some migrants fled into nearby hills.
- The settlement emerged following a mass influx of more than 70,000 people from Morocco in late July, with the esplanade serving as the largest remaining camp housing an estimated 4,000 migrants.
- Despite the clearance, nearly 15,000 migrants remain in the city straining local resources; the Luna Blanca charity distributes up to 5,000 meals daily, though volunteers face threats for providing aid.
- King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visited Ceuta on October 13, memorializing more than 140 migrants who died during the July crossing while reaffirming Spain's sovereignty and calling for "good faith" relations with Rabat.
- Morocco continues to claim sovereignty over the enclave, while Spanish opposition parties accuse Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government of reacting too slowly to the crisis and failing to defend the territory's borders.
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Socialist Nabila Mounib has ruled out a military exit but has warned that they are “ready to defend them with full force”
Some circles of the Moncloa do not exclude a diplomatic response from Morocco after the visit of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia to Ceuta and Melilla. According to El Mundo, this reaction could be manifested by a "recall of his ambassador to Madrid for consultations", despite the reassuring statements of the government that on Tuesday this visit is carried out under "very normal" conditions. This scenario is based on a 2007 precedent, when Raba…
The visit comes amid a migrant crisis and a territorial dispute with Morocco.
The last Spanish king to visit these enclaves was Juan Carlos I, father of the current monarch, in November 2007 . That trip resulted in a diplomatic crisis with Rabat .
Spanish king asks for ‘good faith’ during speech in Ceuta
CEUTA, Spain -- King Felipe VI delivered a staunch message of support for Ceuta as being an integral part of Spain on Tuesday when the monarch visited the North African territory amid a protracted migration crisis that has strained relations with Morocco.
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