Spain's King Felipe VI meets Ceuta leader as Morocco publishes protocol message amid migration crisis

Mass crossings overwhelm Ceuta

Beginning on the night of July 29, thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco into the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta by swimming across the border at Tarajal beach. Ceuta, home to 84,000 residents, saw more than 72,000 people enter, with local authorities putting the figure as high as 80,000. The mass crossing nearly doubled the city's population and overwhelmed local resources. Morocco's failure to control its side of the border has been described in Spanish diplomatic circles as a periodic strategy of "hybrid warfare" applied to Spain's southern frontier.

Protocol message repurposed

On July 30, Morocco celebrated Throne Day, marking the 27th anniversary of Mohammed VI's accession to the throne. As part of standard diplomatic procedure, Felipe VI had sent a congratulatory message to his Moroccan counterpart, prepared in advance at the proposal of the Spanish Foreign Ministry and transmitted through the Spanish Embassy in Morocco before the crisis began. The message expressed Felipe VI's "warmest congratulations and best wishes for happiness and health" and his confidence that the "close ties of brotherhood, friendship and cooperation" between the two countries would continue to consolidate.

On August 5, Morocco's official news agency MAP published the contents of this message. Diplomatic sources consulted by ABC described the timing as an interested maneuver taking advantage of a moment of maximum political and diplomatic sensitivity. The Zarzuela confirmed the message through official channels, emphasizing that it had been prepared and sent before the crisis began and that similar congratulations had been sent in previous years. La Vanguardia noted that Morocco published the message without indicating it had been received before the Ceuta events, in what the newspaper described as an attempt to compromise the King.

King's response

Felipe VI has followed the crisis with permanent tension and enormous concern, maintaining near-daily contact with the competent authorities. He has spoken with the president of the government, the leader of the opposition, and the leaders of the two autonomous cities. He issued a communiqué expressing his indignation at the mass crossing.

The State must guarantee the security of the citizens.

On August 6, Felipe VI will receive Juan Jesús Vivas, president of Ceuta, at the Marivent Palace, the Royal Family's official summer residence. The audience was organized hastily to show the monarch's support for the autonomous city. Vivas had wanted to wait until tensions eased before traveling. Earlier that day, at 1:00 PM, Vivas will meet with regional president Marga Prohens, in what will be his first meeting with a regional leader. Vivas has spent several days requesting help and solidarity from Spain's autonomous communities to relieve pressure on Ceuta.

A visit deferred

The Spanish government has not found an opportune moment for the monarch to visit Ceuta and Melilla during his reign. After Morocco's recent provocation with its lax border control, that visit is even further away. Felipe VI is constitutionally the "symbol of unity and permanence," and the geographical singularity of Ceuta and Melilla conflicts with his desire to demonstrate his commitment to serving Spaniards. El Periódico noted that the tradition of sending congratulations to the Moroccan monarch dates back to Juan Carlos I, who attended celebrations in Marrakech when Hassan II marked 25 years on the throne on March 3, 1986.