The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, defended this Friday that Melilla and Ceuta are "very Spanish cities" and "the best of Spain", in an event held at the Alfonso XIII Base that served for the inauguration of Division General Fernando Ruiz Gómez as the new commander of the General Command of Melilla.
Robles also stressed her "pride" for the work of the Armed Forces after the Ceuta crisis at the end of July and emphasized that complaints about possible cases of mistreatment of migrants by military personnel must be investigated by justice. The minister pointed out that, in the face of any complaint, it has been passed to the Prosecutor's Office and the court.
The Ceuta crisis remains under institutional and judicial surveillance
The minister, in statements after the ceremony, highlighted the "bond" of the Army with Melilla and maintained that the city is felt by all Spaniards as their own. She also affirmed that the Armed Forces "will always be united with the population", with the idea of providing service to Spain and maintaining their presence alongside the citizenry.
The Lieutenant General Chief of the Canary Islands Command, Julio Salom, recalled the coordination between different commands to reinforce security in Ceuta and Melilla, as well as in islets and other Spanish enclaves. He said that this reinforcement was especially visible at key moments of the crisis and in specific episodes, such as the King's visit.
Salom assured that "normality is being recovered" and that the objective is to reduce the presence of migrants in the streets of Ceuta. He added that an "impeccable job" is being done there, while Robles clarified that the work of the military is carried out with "great responsibility and discretion", although it has sometimes received criticism. Regarding the complaints of alleged mistreatment, both Salom and Robles recalled that everything has been put in the hands of the Prosecutor's Office. The minister specified that, if any conduct has occurred, it is not up to her to determine it and that this assessment is the responsibility of the judicial authorities.
Ruiz Gómez asks for discipline and loyalty for the new stage in the Command
In his first address as general commander of Melilla, Fernando Ruiz Gómez defended that the Command, "so closely linked to the history and present of Spain", must integrate into Melilla society and coexist respecting "different sensibilities". He also asked to "flee from complacency" to offer the best of the units deployed in the city, with "discipline and loyalty" as references.
The new general commander entered the General Military Academy in the XLVIII Promotion and has accumulated assignments in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Jordan, and Ethiopia, in addition to the Antarctic Campaign of 2009, which he directed as head of the expedition. Before assuming COMGEMEL, he was head of the Preparation Area of the Land Force Headquarters after his promotion to colonel in 2020, and in February 2024 he was promoted to brigadier general to command the Guzmán el Bueno X Brigade and serve as military commander of Córdoba and Jaén.
The ceremony brought together the president of the Autonomous City of Melilla, Juan José Imbroda Ortiz, and the government delegate, Sabrina Moh Abdelkader, among other civil and military authorities. The event began with the incorporation of the units to the Esplanade of the Heroes and the swearing-in with the delivery of the COMGEMEL Guidon, and concluded with a parade and the farewell of the flag to the rhythm of the national anthem. The formation was made up of all the units of the General Command of Melilla, including the Melilla Regulars Group number 52 and the Gran Capitán 1st Tercio of La Legión, while the command is now in the hands of Ruiz Gómez in a scenario still marked by the Ceuta crisis and by the open investigations.
