Thousands of Moroccans Attempt to Reach Ceuta: Makhzen Exploits Youth’s Desperation to Pressure Spain

✏️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada

Algiers, Algeria | September 16th, 2024 — In an alarming surge, thousands of Moroccans attempted to cross into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from the northern Moroccan city of Fnideq on Sunday evening, raising serious questions about the motives behind this mass movement. Observers suggest the Makhzen regime is using the suffering of its citizens to exert political pressure on Spain.

Videos shared by Moroccan activists and local media depicted chaotic scenes as Moroccan security forces pursued young, desperate migrants hoping to escape a life of extreme poverty. Unable to find dignified living conditions in Morocco due to the Makhzen’s despotic policies, these individuals sought refuge and opportunity on the other side of the Mediterranean.

Local media reported that, late into the night, numerous Moroccan families gathered at the border crossing, anxiously searching for missing relatives. The uncertainty surrounding the fate of their loved ones—whether they had been detained, deported, or succeeded in crossing—was palpable. Meanwhile, dozens of young people hid in the mountains, waiting for another chance to breach the heavily guarded frontier.

Initial estimates point to nearly 5,000 Moroccans being arrested following an anonymous call for collective migration issued on September 15. Mohamed Benaïssa, president of the Northern Observatory for Democracy, told the press that the majority of those detained were children, minors, and young adults in their early twenties.

In an article titled “The Moroccan, a Migrant in His Own Country,” journalist Younès Meskine remarked that this migration wave to Ceuta reflects more than just a pursuit of economic opportunity. It embodies the profound longing of Moroccan youth for stability and a better life, away from a nation plagued by unemployment and lack of prospects. He emphasized that the exodus illustrates the Makhzen’s failure to provide basic social protections like housing, employment, and healthcare.

“These young people cannot find the means to live with dignity in their own country, so they risk their lives searching for it elsewhere,” Meskine added.

What transpired on Sunday is seen by many as more than a simple mass migration. Experts believe it was a calculated move by the Makhzen to pressure Madrid, using the threat of illegal migration to coerce Spain into accommodating Morocco’s political demands—even those that violate international law. The sudden surge at the border, mobilized by a social media call, appears to be a strategic message from Rabat.

Analysts suggest that the Makhzen’s message to Pedro Sanchez’s government is clear: any action by Spain that counters Morocco’s interests—particularly regarding Western Sahara—will be met with waves of clandestine migrants. To reinforce this message, Moroccan security forces cracked down on migrants attempting to cross, imprisoning several to showcase their role in “protecting Europe’s borders,” as various human rights organizations have noted.

This is not the first time Morocco has used migration as a bargaining tool. In 2022, tensions flared between Spain and Morocco after Spain allowed Brahim Ghali, president of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, to receive medical treatment in a Spanish hospital. Morocco retaliated by facilitating mass migration attempts into Ceuta, resulting in a crisis that pressured Spain’s prime minister to recognize Morocco’s claim over Western Sahara.

Former Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya publicly acknowledged the pressure Morocco exerted on Spain, revealing that the Makhzen used the migration issue to manipulate Spain’s stance on the Western Sahara conflict. Additionally, the Makhzen’s use of the Zionist spyware Pegasus to target European officials, human rights activists, and journalists has intensified the scandal surrounding its diplomatic tactics.

Moreover, Morocco has been accused of exploiting African migrants to further pressure Spain. On June 24, 2022, Moroccan security forces brutally repressed African migrants attempting to enter the Spanish enclave of Melilla, resulting in the tragic deaths of dozens. This massacre underscored the regime’s willingness to use human lives as pawns in its geopolitical games, drawing sharp criticism from international human rights organizations.

In sum, the recent surge of Moroccan migrants at Ceuta’s border is widely seen as a symptom of the regime’s broader strategy of leveraging human suffering to achieve political gains on the international stage.

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