Melilla

A Spanish judge has urgently requested records of phone calls exchanged between Juan Jesús Vivas, the former mayor of Melilla, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez during the May 2021 migration crisis, when thousands of people crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave. The judicial request, reported by ABC, comes as the investigation continues into how the Spanish government handled the events surrounding the invasion of Ceuta.

King Felipe VI will not call King Mohammed VI of Morocco before travelling to Ceuta and Melilla, according to El Mundo. The Spanish government is expecting a "response" from Rabat over the monarch's planned visit to the two North African enclaves, whose status Morocco disputes. The trip is being watched closely as a test of relations between Madrid and Rabat, which have only recently been restored after a diplomatic crisis.

Migrants removed from the Trampolín settlement in Melilla are splitting into two groups: some are choosing to return to Morocco, while others prefer to stay and begin the identification and asylum process in Spain. The split highlights the uncertain situation facing those left homeless by the eviction, with aid groups and authorities watching closely how many actually go back across the border.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia are having a packed October agenda, travelling from Finland to the Spanish autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla, with a stop for the Princess of Asturias Awards along the way. The royal couple's intensive schedule of official trips and ceremonies is drawing attention in Spain.