Melilla’s president Juan José Imbroda attended the Mass for Nuestra Señora de la Victoria called for greater European Union attention to Ceuta and Melilla At the Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón he urged Europe to turn “its eyes” towards the two autonomous cities. At the same time, he asked that Ceuta regain “the normality it abruptly lost”.
Imbroda linked the religious occasion to political criticism. He called for a “firm response” from the Spanish state towards Morocco and spoke of the need to shed foreign-policy “complexes”. Referring to the mass entries across the Ceuta border on the nights of 30 and 31 July 2026, which he described as an “invasion”, he cited around 140 deaths in his address. The figures are disputed: while state authorities and media gave revised, in some cases considerably lower, casualty figures several times over the following days and weeks, civil society organisations report higher numbers. The discrepancies are the subject of ongoing investigations and official reviews.
The address took place as part of the local holiday in honour of Nuestra Señora de la Victoria. Members of the city government and civilian and military representatives attended the Mass. Imbroda paid tribute to church leaders and emphasised “peace, respect and solidarity” as the basis for coexistence in Melilla.
Politically, his demands form part of a wider debate about Madrid’s handling of the situation in Ceuta and Melilla. Representatives of both cities have been pressing for a greater say in border and cooperation matters, as well as stronger European support, for weeks. No specific new decisions at European Union level have been announced so far. The Spanish central government has submitted reports and documents on the July events in Ceuta for further examination; assessments and possible follow-up measures are still pending.
Imbroda’s statements should be understood as a political attribution. They reflect the interests of Melilla’s autonomous government in relation to Madrid, Morocco and the European Union. The immediate news occasion is the patron saint’s celebration; the reference to the events at the Ceuta border provides the current point of reference for the continuation of the domestic and European political debate.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).