King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will visit Ceuta and Melilla on October 13 and 14, respectively, in the monarch's first official trip to the two autonomous cities since he ascended to the throne in 2014. The visit, agreed upon between the Spanish government and the Royal Household, comes almost twenty years after the last trip by a Spanish monarch to the two cities, in 2007, which caused a diplomatic crisis with Morocco.

We have people camping in Ceuta wishing to enter and live in a country where there are people camping in protest for fear of being kicked out of the rental apartment where they live. It is the same country where there are thousands of people camping every night on the streets. Or who have had to turn their room into a campsite, into a kind of new vertical shanty town.

An Amnesty International investigation has documented "torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment" of migrants in Ceuta by members of the Spanish armed forces. The organization, which made the investigation public this Wednesday, reports beatings, harassment, and the theft of money and mobile phones by soldiers patrolling the city, and describes these as attitudes that follow "a pattern" against migrants remaining on the streets of the Spanish city following the mass crossing from Morocco on July 30th.

The political and social crisis that has exploded with Maricarmen's eviction, and which reached Congress this Tuesday, has largely made people forget the political and social crisis caused by the massive entry of immigrants through Ceuta on July 30th and 31st. In a way, it is as if one crisis has covered up the other and, trivializing it a bit, as if the one in Ceuta were the summer crisis, while the housing one were the back-to-school crisis. In both cases, public opinion reacts with the same question: what repercussions will these events have on the electoral cycle? More specifically: does Pedro Sánchez still have any option to revalidate the presidency? If it is Feijóo who finally governs, with what pacts with Vox will he do it? In both options, what happens next will not be like 2023: a redefinition of the political landscape will foreseeably occur, in the form of a deep upheaval. These questions are what have a large part of public opinion on alert, much more than the plight of immigrants or the evicted. This, of course, is also part of the dehumanization of the poor, one of the constants of our days.Ceuta has been and remains a very representative example of this dehumanization. The immigrants who have been trapped in the colony (in the autonomous city, in administrative language), those who died in the first days, those who have suffered hunger, thirst, and deprivation, have enjoyed very few considerations. Camps of helpless people have been set on fire, hunts for immigrants have been perpetrated, and open calls have been made to hatred, to murder, to a crusade, and to the defense of Spain by the most violent means possible. The immigrant has been literally put in the crosshairs, and even the children of immigrants have been labeled as invaders who do not deserve any kind of consideration, even by parties and political representatives who call themselves liberals, centrists, moderates, and democrats. The management of the Spanish government has been slow, cumbersome, and hampered by the incomprehensible servitude of the Spanish rulers to the Moroccans; that of the government of Ceuta has been disloyal and toxic. But even more worrying than that has been the opening of the floodgates of hatred to let out the old discourses that deny people their human condition, the kind of discourses that precede massacres or waves of executions.

The hitherto delegate of the Spanish government in Ceuta, Miguel Ángel Pérez Triano, has resigned from his post, denouncing the "constant harassment" he has suffered in the last two months, with personal attacks that have made him say enough is enough. In an appearance without questions, Pérez Triano announced that he is not only leaving the delegation but also putting an end to his political career. "My family does not deserve this," he insisted after citing the personal attacks, among which was a funeral wreath he received at the delegation: "This is also violence." According to Moncloa sources, the delegate conveyed his desire not to continue in the position a few days ago, in a decision that the executive describes as "human and personal" after "many weeks of immense work."

For years I had a passport that opened very few doors for me. Today I have a Spanish passport and I can look at the world from a different place. I am still the same person, but the document I carry in my pocket has changed. I explain this to remember that inequality is also expressed in the capacity one may have to move freely.

In December 2025, a good number of African countries had found themselves with a window of opportunity. The price of oil was low and in global markets it seemed there was more supply of oil than demand, a fact that would have kept energy prices stable. Most African countries are importers of gasoline and diesel, with prices that tend to move at the same rate as those of oil. At the end of February 2026, however, war broke out in Iran.

"And what are they doing today?", asked a woman on Madrid's Gran Vía a few minutes past nine in the morning. "I think a demonstration for democracy and rights," a security guard replied, sympathetic to the cause but clearly misinformed. At that moment, the avenue was already blocked off and the first attendees were beginning to arrive for the call by the Sociedad Civil Española platform at the Plaza de Cibeles in support of Ceuta and against the Spanish government. Well, especially against Pedro Sánchez, who, as is now usual in right-wing demonstrations, has become the target and has been called absolutely everything: traitor, son of a bitch, to prison... In fact, the manifesto calling for the mobilization, supported by the PP and Vox, demanded immediate elections, treason proceedings against the Spanish Prime Minister, and the militarization of Ceuta to drive out the "invaders." According to the Spanish government delegation in Madrid, they managed to gather 20,000 attendees on a three-kilometer route that reached the Moncloa.

A week ago, a score of migrants reported having suffered beatings and humiliation by military personnel deployed on the streets of Ceuta and the Spanish government announced that it would open an internal investigation into the events. Days later, several videos have come to light showing some of the reported actions and providing graphic proof of them. The images, which Eldiario.es has had access to, show several uniformed soldiers chasing, subduing, and beating migrants at various points in the Spanish enclave.

We are entering a world that does not yet have a name. At the root of current changes appear five major interrelated factors: a new global geopolitics, international migrations in a context of demographic growth, digitalization and artificial intelligence, a climate change that seems irreversible, and various internal crises in liberal democracies. Let us focus on some elements of the first two factors.Geopolitics. It must be analyzed with a world map in front of you and with the history of the affected contexts. The world of the Cold War belongs to the past, but the “new world” is still taking shape. Some notable factors: emergence of China as one of the two hegemonic actors on an economic, political, and military scale (erosion of the previously incontestable position of the USA); consolidation of regional powers (India, Turkey, Brazil, Indonesia, etc.); relative decline of the European Union; growth of instability in the Middle East (Iran, Israel-Palestine, agreement between Saudi Arabia-Turkey-Pakistan); strategies for the control of maritime straits in terms of security, defense, and trade (Malacca, Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb/Suez, Gibraltar); future importance of new Arctic routes. A set of factors with an uncertain outcome. No one controls everything, but no one wants to be left on the sidelines or lose positions in the next quarter of a century.International migrations. They also require having a global map. It is a topic in which socioeconomic, political, ethical, national, and cultural variables intervene, before which it seems that no one manages to offer an optimization that is both effective and reasonable. Neither the right nor the left.Geopolitics is interrelated with migration. Ceuta as a case in point. At this moment, leaving aside the Spanish government's terrible management, it seems clear that the Ceuta conflict cannot be reduced to a mere migratory dispute between two border states. The context brings to light global international strategies: the use of migration as a political weapon, the influence of the US-Israel tandem in Muslim countries; Morocco as a key piece of this strategy. It seems that China also analyzes it in these terms: if the US strategy in this territory advances, Chinese strategic options are reduced (see the article by Nadia Helmy, “Why Chinese Analysts Are Linking Morocco’s Gaza Role to Spain’s Ceuta Crisis”, Modern Diplomacy, 11-8-2026). The European Union has once again shown that it lives with its back to the Mediterranean.

Let me start the story at the end, which is where great stories begin. Later, if you have the patience, readers, we will go to the flash-back. It so happens that at the Congress of Deputies, three restrooms and a dining room had to be sealed off “after someone emptied a spray with a toxic substance in them”. Three floors of the building were evacuated, including the kitchen area. Cooks, waitresses, and a member of the Mauritanian delegation, who happened to be passing by, were intoxicated and had to receive medical assistance.

This Wednesday, the nearly fifteen million Moroccan citizens registered in the electoral census are called to participate in legislative elections held in an atmosphere strained by the Ceuta crisis and all its ramifications. In a political landscape dominated by monarchist parties, which govern in a coalition executive led by Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, the election results are not expected to bring any significant political change to the House of Representatives, which consists of 395 members. One of the main questions surrounding the elections is what the abstention rate will be, which analysts predict could be very high given the disillusionment with the political class among a large part of the population.

The border between Ceuta and Morocco will wake up this Wednesday with more security than usual. Faced with messages on social networks about a new attempt to cross the border taking advantage of the call for legislative elections in the North African country, the Spanish government has decided to reinforce the personnel of the State's security forces and bodies in the autonomous city. The decision became known the same day that Pedro Sánchez acknowledged, from the United States, that "it is clear" that "Morocco's border control mechanism failed" with the massive entry on July 30 and 31. "We have requested answers and actions [from the Moroccan authorities]," said the Spanish president this Tuesday in an interview with CNN in which he raised the tone with Morocco.

A climate of tension, far-right sentiment, and plenty of misinformation. These are the ingredients that explain the disturbances this Sunday at the port of Ceuta, where several protesters ended up stoning the car of Ceuta assembly member Julia Ferreras. The attack, for which a 22-year-old man has been arrested, took place during a protest against the arrival of Negu Gorriak / Derecho a Techo, an NGO from Pamplona that was bringing humanitarian aid to the autonomous city. Neither Ferreras was part of the organization, nor were the companions she sheltered in her car, the activist Rafael Borrego and the human rights lawyer Sofía Cánovas. This, however, did not prevent them from being pelted with eggs and stones, nor did it stop the protesters from breaking the vehicle's windows and mirrors and attempting to force their way inside.

Alberto Núñez Feijóo has returned to Ceuta for the fourth time. This time, however, he has done so accompanied by the president of the European People's Party, Manfred Weber, to reinforce the message of the Spanish conservatives regarding this migration crisis and to illustrate the calls to "Europeanize" this Spanish enclave in North Africa. The message from the two conservative leaders has gone in the same direction as that of the president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas: that the migrant minors who entered the autonomous city on July 30 and 31 must be returned to Morocco.

Since July 30, everything surrounding Spanish politics has been viewed through the prism of the crisis in Ceuta. The social and humanitarian deadlock has become a primary political battle between the government, led by the PSOE, and the PP, which heads the Ceuta executive with Juan Jesús Vivas. For this reason, Pedro Sánchez's trip to the 81st edition of the United Nations General Assembly starting this Monday in New York comes at a perfect time for La Moncloa to broaden the focus and also introduce other issues into the political debate. Although executive sources note that Ceuta will be included in the speeches—their intention is to defend their management and the regularization—Sánchez wants to turn New York into a showcase for his model of regulating AI in his discursive fight against tech oligarchs and in a defense of multilateralism and his economic recipe against the rise of the far-right.

The journalist from Ceuta, Carmela Ríos, is an expert in social media and disinformation. Since the last weekend of July, she has been following with concern the unprecedented crisis that the autonomous city is experiencing, as well as the treatment it is receiving on social media, which has played a decisive role in the massive entry of people from Morocco.

The Ceuta Juvenile Prosecutor's Office has transferred to the court several complaints from underage girls who arrived alone in the Spanish enclave during the mass entry between July 30 and 31 and who claim to have suffered abuse or harassment in reception centers of the regional protection network. As reported by El País and confirmed by sources from the Ceuta Prosecutor's Office, the public ministry has become aware of "some complaints" filed with the police, which have been placed at the disposal of the judicial body.

In 2019, the newspaper El Mundo launched a campaign with the slogan "The truth, however uncomfortable it may be". Over time, this phrase has become institutionalized and the newspaper uses it regularly to promote itself. I thought about this when, this week, I read a report on Ceuta that certainly caused discomfort among its own readers, as could be seen in the comments section.

Joking or not, a European source said: on July 30, the day of the assault on Ceuta, the first thing many community advisors had to do was explain to their politicians where Ceuta was. Then, the chills came.