The crisis caused by thousands migrating from Morocco to Spain, deceived by social media messages

An unprecedented migratory crisis has emerged, with a massive influx of Moroccan youth, incited by organized messages circulated on social media networks, storming the border of Ceuta, a Spanish territory. Thousands of young people were prompted to travel towards the border along routes in northern Morocco by messages spread on social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, X, and Instagram, stating, "The Spanish border is open, and you can enter without any legal documents."

The story of Ahmed, a 23-year-old unemployed youth who, after hearing social media messages, went to Ceuta only to be forced to return, saying, "I have no place in Morocco, I am in extreme helplessness," reflects how these internet campaigns misled the younger generation.

Over 20,000 members had gathered through online groups like "Hrig Sebta," where information was exchanged including Google Maps showing how to reach Spain's Tarajal beach, locations with less security attention, and even places selling diving suits, fins, swimming goggles, and waterproof bags to keep mobile phones safe. In the Moroccan Arabic dialect, "Hrig" (meaning "burning documents") refers to entering Europe illegally without any visa, and young people attempting to flee the country in this manner are known in the region as "Harragas."

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez accuses human traffickers of exploiting a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling that prevented the immediate return of irregular migrants arriving by sea, thereby creating this mass influx. The official stance of the Moroccan government is similar, and it is suspected that automated bot accounts were behind the internet accounts that directed over 60,000 people, as these accounts have now disappeared. Previously, in September 2024, a similar social media operation was thwarted by Moroccan police arresting several bloggers, but this time, the Moroccan internal intelligence service (DGST) had not issued any prior warning, which is noteworthy.

In the face of this tragic migratory crisis, parents in the border town of Castillejos are grieving intensely, without any information about their children. Aisha, a 40-year-old mother from Tetouan, states that her 12-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter attempted to cross the border in this manner; while she received a message that her daughter reached Spain, there is no information about her son. According to the Spanish news agency Efe, at least 17 people, including a 12-year-old girl, have died due to the clashes that occurred within the Moroccan border.

Khadija Inani, head of the migration section of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH), points out that the severe economic and social pressure in Morocco is at the root of this crisis, stating that young people lack an environment to live with dignity in their own country. According to official government data, over 1.5 million young people between the ages of 15 and 25 are without education or employment, and when considering up to age 35, that number exceeds four million. Analyst Abdellah Tourabi, who accuses the government of forgetting the younger generation while allocating billions for events like the Football World Cup, points out that these young people, feeling unwanted in their own country, sacrifice themselves to the Mediterranean Sea in search of a better future.