Spain: Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia arrived in Ceuta on Tuesday for the first time during their 12-year reign, amid a migration crisis and long-standing tensions with Morocco, which claims sovereignty over Ceuta and Spain’s other North African enclave, Melilla.
The visit comes just over two months after more than 72,000 migrants entered Ceuta from Morocco in late July. Although most subsequently returned, at least 10,000 remain in the Spanish enclave in North Africa, putting pressure on local resources and fuelling tensions.
The Moroccan government has historically opposed Spanish royal visits to the two cities, which it claims as its own territory and regards as occupied by Spain.
Madrid considers the strategically important enclaves an integral part of Spanish territory. Ceuta and Melilla have been under Spanish control since the 17th and 15th centuries, respectively.
