Spain's minister for the presidency, Félix Bolaños, has said the migration crisis in the North African enclave of Ceuta will not be resolved quickly, pushing back against any suggestion of an easy fix. Speaking to Onda Cero on Thursday, he argued that anyone claiming the situation could be solved "in the blink of an eye" had no real understanding of the challenge.
Bolaños also acknowledged that the enclave has not yet returned to normal conditions, according to multiple Spanish outlets covering his remarks. He conceded that the government did not have accurate or advance intelligence on the scale of the arrival of around 70,000 people, a figure reported by El Mundo. The minister said there was neither prior nor precise information about the magnitude of the entry.
The comments come amid a public disagreement with Defence Minister Margarita Robles over the role of the CNI, Spain's intelligence agency, in the crisis. Bolaños reiterated that the CNI had not provided the kind of warning that would have allowed authorities to anticipate the mass movement, as El Confidencial reported.
He also urged against blaming Morocco, saying there was no evidence that the Moroccan government had directed or encouraged the mass entry, according to El Español. Bolaños called for respect toward Morocco and asked the public for "confidence and calm" following the disturbances in Ceuta.
The situation in Ceuta remains tense, with the minister admitting that full normality has not been restored. His remarks suggest the government is bracing for a prolonged response rather than a swift resolution.
What to watch next: whether the political dispute over intelligence failures escalates and how Spain manages relations with Morocco as the crisis continues.
