Spanish royals make rare visit to Ceuta after migrant crisis
Spain's exclave in North Africa is still dealing with the aftermath of an influx of 70,000 people from Morocco in July.
Spanish royals make rare visit to Ceuta after migrant crisis
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were welcomed by crowds as they arrived in Ceuta on Tuesday.
King Felipe VI has started a visit to Ceuta as the Spanish exclave continues to deal with a migrant crisis sparked by an influx of about 70,000 people from Morocco in July.
It is the first Spanish royal visit to the city in almost 20 years and comes amid tensions with Morocco, which has long claimed the territory.
Most of the migrants have since left after the surge across the border, during which humanitarian groups estimate at least 141 people died. But thousands have stayed, mostly sleeping rough until recently.
The situation has raised local concern and drawn criticism of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's response ahead of next month’s elections, with immigration expected to be a major issue.
The king and Queen Letizia are scheduled to meet local authorities, visit a school and attend an interfaith ceremony at the Sidi Embarek Muslim cemetery on Tuesday, where many of the migrants who died during the summer crossings were buried.
King Felipe is due to deliver a speech from Ceuta's Parador hotel in the evening, before travelling on Wednesday to Melilla - Spain's other city on the North African coast, which Morocco also claims.
Juan Jesús Vivas, the conservative president of Ceuta, told Spanish radio that the visit would bring "hope to a place that needs a lot of hope".
He had described the situation as "the most serious national security crisis of the democratic era" in Spain, and estimated that 15,000 migrants remained in the city.
Central government estimates are far lower, with officials saying 7,400 places were available to house the migrants.
The July crossing prompted concern among residents and officials about safety and the sudden strain on local infrastructure. In isolated incidents, some locals have tried to block aid from being distributed to the migrants.
Most of the arrivals had been sleeping rough until the central government set up makeshift shelters last month, with the aim of carrying out legal procedures to determine whether they were eligible to stay in Ceuta or should be sent back to Morocco or elsewhere.
The crisis pushed Ceuta and immigration to the centre of national politics, prompting demonstrations on mainland Spain in support of Ceuta's people and criticism of the Socialist-led government's handling of the situation.
It has also highlighted Spain's relationship with Morocco, which many initially blamed for the July crossings - although Sánchez has insisted there is no proof that Spain's neighbour knowingly allowed or engineered the mass crossing.
Earlier this week, he confirmed a media report that Moroccan military vessels had entered Spanish waters off Ceuta during the migrant crossing on 31 July, but downplayed the significance of the incident.
Morocco has meanwhile repeated its longstanding sovereignty claims to both Ceuta and Melilla amid the crisis.
In August, its Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi spoke of his country's "historical and geographical right" to the exclaves and called for bilateral talks on the issue, which the Spanish government rejected.
The opposition has accused Sánchez of failing to stand up to Rabat. The leader of the conservative People's Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, said Sánchez was lying about the causes of the migrants' crossing and was guilty of "frivolity" on this issue.
"To Morocco, [we should offer] loyalty and good neighbourliness, but also firmness," he said.