The surge into Ceuta
Youssef El Abbas recognized an opportunity to reclaim a life he had lost seven years ago. Reports spread that around 400 people had swum from Morocco to Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the northern African coast. El Abbas, a 44-year-old Moroccan father of four, saw this as a way to return to Spain, where he had been deported after his residency expired in 2019 when he lost his job in Bilbao. He took a taxi to Tétouan, a city located south of Ceuta. Along the way, he saw social media posts and news stories suggesting that the Moroccan authorities were allowing people to cross the border. This meant he could drive overland, then swim briefly across the border to avoid Spanish border controls, a stark contrast to what had happened the night before.
Upon arriving in Tétouan, El Abbas discovered the city in chaos. Young men were sprinting through the streets, filling every corner with their movement. The local police were shouting at the crowd, urging them to 'Go, go, go! Run now, run into Spain.' Only hours earlier, these same officers had been violently deterring people. Now, however, they were clearly allowing Moroccans to cross into Ceuta. Yet, El Abbas noticed that sub-Saharan migrants were being forced back with clear intent. The situation was confusing and contradictory, yet it did not deter him.
The crossing and the cost
El Abbas arrived at the border around 2.45pm on Wednesday. By 3pm, he had completed a short swim and was standing on Spanish soil. Unfortunately, El Abbas was not the only one to seek this route, and many did not survive the attempt. Others were pulling bodies out of the sea. These were among at least 72 people who either drowned or were crushed trying to reach the Spanish territory. The dangers of this journey were clear, yet the lure of a better life in Spain was powerful enough to drive many to attempt it.
El Abbas is one of approximately 69,500 people who have crossed into Ceuta this week. This event has been described by Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, as 'a violation of Spain’s territorial integrity.' The Spanish government has attributed the mass crossing to 'human-trafficking mafias' that are exploiting a recent ruling by Spain’s supreme court. This ruling made it more difficult to return individuals intercepted at sea while trying to enter Ceuta or Melilla.
The diplomatic tensions and aftermath
Beyond the criminal aspect, there is also speculation that the Moroccan authorities may have deliberately opened the border to express their dissatisfaction with Sánchez’s recent visit to Algeria. Algeria has been working to support the independence movement of Western Sahara, a territory claimed by Morocco. Morocco’s ambassador to Spain, Karima Benyaich Millán, confirmed Rabat's displeasure at the mass crossing and expressed hope that those who had entered Ceuta would return. The Moroccan government, according to sources from the Europa Press news agency, claims the surge into Ceuta is due to 'criminal organisations' and insists that Rabat continues to cooperate 'exemplary' with Spain.
In May 2021, Morocco similarly loosened border controls during a diplomatic dispute with Spain, allowing about 10,000 people to cross into Ceuta over two days. This previous event was linked to Madrid's decision to allow a Western Sahara independence leader to be treated in Spain for health issues. Now, as with that earlier incident, Morocco's border policies seem to be closely tied to broader regional tensions and political maneuvers. Spanish intelligence sources told El País that the roots of the influx probably lay in a hoax that had swiftly spread across social media after a Spanish supreme court ruling that migrants arriving by sea could not be summarily deported. As the hoax gained steam online, Moroccan border surveillance dwindled to a minimum until it was completely lifted late last week, allowing tens of thousands of people through.
For El Abbas, the journey back to Spain has been filled with mixed emotions. He never stopped dreaming of returning to the country where he worked in the hospitality industry for 14 years. Since being deported in 2019, he has been separated from his wife and four daughters, who still live in Bilbao. In Morocco, El Abbas has eked out a living by occasionally repairing mobile phones with his father. 'In Morocco, I was alive, but I wasn’t really living.' The longing for a place to call home and to reunite with his family has driven him to take this dangerous path.
Despite the initial relief, El Abbas's return has not been entirely positive. However, this moment of kindness quickly turned to violence. Three days after arriving, El Abbas and his group were confronted by a military patrol and beaten. This experience mirrors what many other migrants are facing in Ceuta.
Though more than 48,000 people had returned to Morocco by Friday night, about 2,500 people who had made the crossing were believed to still be in Ceuta. Many are waiting for a chance to move on or simply to find shelter. The barriers to leaving Ceuta for mainland Spain appear to be insurmountable for most of those who have made the journey. The situation remains tense and uncertain, as the influx of people raises political and humanitarian concerns for both Spain and Morocco.