NewzFNIDEQ, Morocco (AP) — It started with Instagram posts that suggested Spain’s border with Morocco was opening up. Then came Facebook users tracking coast guard patrols and TikTok videos showing where to swim.After many shares and comments, thousands of Moroccans became convinced that Europe was suddenly within reach.Within hours, young people began heading toward the border with the Spanish territory of Ceuta in North Africa. Packed buses rolled into the neighboring Moroccan city of Fnideq.
Taxis did too.By the time authorities reacted, some 72,000 people had reached Ceuta in just a few days, the largest migration surge between Morocco and Spain in years. More than 80 migrants died on both sides of the border, including some who drowned and others who were killed in a stampede, authorities said.Nearly all of the surviving migrants soon returned, but the fallout from last week’s events will linger.Rumors started onlineIn the northern Moroccan city of Larache, about 93 miles (150 kilometers) from Ceuta, three friends watched a video posted by an Instagram account called Haraga Ceuta claiming the border would be open. Haraga refers in Moroccan dialect to young migrants who destroy their identification papers and try crossing illegally into Europe.The post convinced Anas Amrani, Yahya Harak and Ismail Atik that it was worth risking the journey.For migrants hoping to reach Spanish territory, the most common route begins in Fnideq, where many attempt the roughly 3-mile (5-kilometer) swim around the border breakwater.
Others leave from the nearby village of Belyounech.One TikTok video mapped the exact route swimmers should follow.On Facebook groups such as Fnideq Bab Sebta, users shared screenshots from vessel-tracking platforms to identify moments when coast guard patrols appeared lighter. Some sought advice on using inflatable boats. Others advertised wetsuits for sale.“I saw online that the border was open, and I decided to go,” said 17-year-old Omar Danbor from Fnideq, walking back exhausted along the coast.It's unclear who was behind the claims that the border was open or who operated many of the social media accounts, several of which were deleted soon after the crossings.
The Associated Press contacted several accounts but received no response.The surge to Ceuta touched a political nerve in Europe, and the European Union is invest… Taxis did too.By the time authorities reacted, an estimated 60,000 people had reached Ceuta in just a few days, the largest migration surge between Morocco and Spain in years.
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