Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – During the middle of the night on Saturday northern Moroccan cities, particularly Fnideq, witnessed an unusual and unprecedented scene as hundreds of young Moroccans confronted police forces.
Viral videos circulating online show large groups of youth clashing with Moroccan police, responding to widespread calls for a mass irregular migration attempt toward the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.
Despite the deployment of security units across Fnideq, the situation escalated, with videos capturing scenes of riots and vandalism, including attacks on police vehicles. The chaos was overwhelming to both regular citizens in Morocco, and Spain as well as Moroccan and Spanish security services.
One video shared by Moroccan news outlet Al Yaoum 24 shows a group of people using rocks and throwing them against vehicles, while others were seen flocking and running toward streets.
A rapidly spreading campaign on social media, particularly on platforms like TikTok, has been urging Moroccans to participate in a mass irregular migration attempt set for September 15.
The online movement gained significant traction, which calls for large-scale migration to Ceuta and Melilla, reaching a wide audience.
Prior to the campaign, many young Moroccans — girls and boys alike — documented their perilous journeys towards Ceuta and Melilla. Some used TikTok to document their swimming and illegal boat trips to the Spanish enclaves and Spanish cities.
Earlier this week, Moroccan police announced the arrest of at least 60 individuals, some of whom were involved in disseminating and promoting the mass migration attempt through social media channels.
The situation also caused significant frustration for Spanish authorities, particularly in the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla.
Local associations in the two enclaves voiced concerns, calling for immediate action to address the growing tensions.
The Residents Ceuta association has reportedly called for limiting trips to Morocco to “avoid interfering” with police’s work to tackle the situation.
“Morocco is conducting a significant police deployment with extensive coverage from Tangier Med to the vicinity of Rincon [M’diq],” Spanish news outlet Deia quoted the association as saying.
The association further noted that the operation has been preceded by “extensive intelligence work,” to disrupt the plans as well as identify those behind the moments.
“It is time to reflect on the laws and other provisions that fuel aspirations and paint images of success in the minds of people, especially the youth eager to achieve what is restricted to them which exerts an irresistible influence and puts their lives at risk,” the association added.
The promise of an easier life on the other side is often in reality a life of hardship. When they reach the enclaves, many of the young people often find themselves confined in overcrowded centers, where they face harsh and inhumane conditions before being deported back to Morocco.
Morocco has been intensifying efforts to address irregular migration for years, but has often emphasized the need for a shared responsibility to tackle the issue.
In 2023, Moroccan police arrested 28,863 irregular migrants, including 18,820 individuals of different foreign nationalities.
About 121 criminal networks were dismantled, and 594 organizers and smugglers of migrants were arrested, police reported.
Security services also confiscated 707 illegal and forged identity documents related to irregular migration cases in addition to 215 boats, and 31 vessels used in these illegal crossings.
