On Friday Mohamed VI opened the new legislative session of Morocco’s Parliament and, according to El País, El Mundo, Europa Press, RTVE and Infobae, rejected “pressure, blackmail or threats” in the relationship with Spain and condemned the “instrumentalization” of the Ceuta crisis. He did not say the name of the city or mention the visit by Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, planned for Oct. 13 in Ceuta and the 14th in Melilla. He acknowledged progress in migration cooperation, but criticized “outdated legal provisions”; The Objective sums it up as “obsolete.” It is the first time he has spoken in public about the July crisis. El Mundo and Infobae describe a weakened king, with a crutch, but there is no official medical bulletin.
Ceuta and Melilla are the most sensitive point in the relationship with Rabat. A speech like this, four days before the King’s first visit to both cities, raises diplomatic tension in the middle of an election campaign.
If you live in Ceuta or Melilla, or depend on the border for work, it is worth following the official notices during the visit. For everyone else, the immediate effect is political, not economic.
For those who defend the Government’s line, the king avoided naming Ceuta and left the door open to cooperation.
For its critics, talking of “blackmail” without specifics is a warning that turns the trip into a showdown.
What matters is what he did not say: neither Ceuta nor the visit. Rabat leaves a general message and an open door, and it is up to Madrid to decide whether to answer it in public. On Tuesday and Wednesday the street will show how much of this speech was a message and how much noise. Meanwhile, the descriptions of his health come from the press and not from any official source, and should not be taken as fact.
El País, El Mundo, Europa Press, RTVE, Infobae, The Objective · Oct. 9, 2026
Mohamed VI rejects Spanish “blackmail” four days before the King and Queen travel to Ceuta and Melilla
The King of Morocco spoke in public for the first time about the July crisis without naming the city or the visit. The King and Queen will be in Ceuta on Tuesday and in Melilla on Wednesday, 50 days before the vote.
Morocco’s King Mohamed VI broke his silence on Friday over the Ceuta crisis in his speech opening the new legislative session of Morocco’s Parliament. According to the reports of El País, El Mundo, Europa Press, RTVE and Infobae, he rejected “pressure, blackmail or threats” in the relationship with Spain and condemned the “instrumentalization” of what happened. However, he did not say the name of Ceuta or allude to the monarchs’ visit. It is the first time he has spoken in public about July’s assault on the autonomous city; the figures for the number of people who entered vary by source and we do not consider them confirmed.
The speech comes four days before the trip by Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, who will be in Ceuta on Oct. 13 and in Melilla on the 14th, according to the regional press. It will be the King’s first visit to both cities and, according to one of the reports, the Crown had not set foot in Melilla since 2007. Several reports say the monarch acknowledged progress in migration cooperation, but pointed to “outdated legal provisions” and court decisions removed from reality. The Objective reports that he considers it “obsolete,” and one of the reports adds his annoyance at the obstacles to repatriating minors.
The king’s appearance also grabbed headlines. El Mundo speaks of a monarch with a “markedly weakened appearance,” and Infobae adds that he walks with a crutch and a strained voice, alongside the presence of his son, Crown Prince Moulay Hassan. These are press descriptions: there is no official medical bulletin and we draw no conclusions about his health. In the text, according to the reports, he argued that the partnership with Spain is “a voluntary commitment” and criticized some “irresponsible statements” from political and media sectors that he did not identify.
The immediate context is the figures given on Thursday by Minister Ángel Víctor Torres: 11,026 returns of migrants to Morocco from Ceuta, 513 of them expulsions, according to El Mundo. The Government also postponed a meeting with Algeria on the eve of the trip, El País reported. In the reports we reviewed there is no official response from the Government to the speech, nor a reaction from Zarzuela Palace, which is preparing the trip’s program and has not yet published the full Ceuta one.
With 50 days to go until Nov. 29, Ceuta will also be a campaign issue. Today and tomorrow it is worth watching whether the Government answers in public, whether Rabat spells out what it calls “outdated legal provisions,” and whether the visit’s program, including the event with Ceuta schoolchildren previewed by El Faro de Ceuta, stays unchanged. El País also compiled this week about a hundred hoaxes about Ceuta, from mass entries to migrants arriving through tunnels, so it is wise to check what circulates on social media during the visit. On Tuesday and Wednesday we will see whether the trip passes calmly or with a new diplomatic showdown.