{"id":3874,"date":"2026-08-05T04:30:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T04:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/?p=3874"},"modified":"2026-08-05T04:30:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T04:30:03","slug":"hundreds-in-morocco-gather-near-ceuta-border-in-anxious-wait-for-missing-loved-ones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/?p=3874","title":{"rendered":"Hundreds in Morocco gather near Ceuta border in anxious wait for missing loved ones"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"a9aa395e-b141-4bfc-ae7a-20cd30989ead\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A crowd of waiting people watch across the border fence at at Morocco&apos;s Bab Sebta crossing to Ceuta\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/b9834d5e78f263199e25c43a2124980bef411155\/391_0_4000_3200\/master\/4000.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"372\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Spain estimates 70,000 people who made the crossing have been returned, leaving about 2,000 still in Ceuta.<\/span> Photograph: Abdel Majid Bziouat\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"a9aa395e-b141-4bfc-ae7a-20cd30989ead\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Spain estimates 70,000 people who made the crossing have been returned, leaving about 2,000 still in Ceuta.<\/span> Photograph: Abdel Majid Bziouat\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">Hundreds in Morocco gather near Ceuta border in anxious wait for missing loved ones<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1kvrm3n\">\n<p>People hope to see friends or relatives among those still returning as death toll from mass crossing nears 100<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\"><span style=\"color:var(--drop-cap);font-weight:500\" class=\"dcr-1iwzucl\">H<\/span>undreds of people have gathered in the northern Moroccan town of Fnideq, near the border with Spain\u2019s Ceuta, flashing photos of their missing loved ones to passersby in the hope of tracking them down.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Their perch was the same small tranche of land that made headlines around the world last week as extraordinary scenes emerged of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/jul\/31\/ceuta-spain-morocco-border-deaths\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">about 72,000 people making their way into Ceuta<\/a>, a tiny Spanish territory in north Africa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">On Tuesday, as interior ministers from across the EU <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/aug\/04\/eu-criticises-spain-migrant-plan-ceuta-crisis-meeting\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">joined an emergency videoconference<\/a> to grapple with the lingering tensions, the focus on the Moroccan side of the border with Ceuta was on the harrowing death toll.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">At least 88 people have died in Ceuta, according to local officials, and another 11 in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/morocco\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Morocco<\/a>, while dozens of others remain missing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cI have just one son,\u201d said Hadijja, who had been waiting at the border since Saturday, scanning the steady stream of returnees for any sign of her 23-year-old son. \u201cI haven\u2019t had any news of him; he\u2019s not answering his mobile phone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">She had travelled to the border from her home in Tangier, surmising that her unemployed son was among those who had made the crossing. \u201cHe didn\u2019t tell me he was going to cross,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is a tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"3606ed15-0d1c-49d1-993d-cc82554d537a\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A row of people wait looking out through the wire-fence border at Ceuta\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/9008a3bce3db89ed8045d9f2a0794a03584a9329\/558_0_4000_3200\/master\/4000.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"356\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"3606ed15-0d1c-49d1-993d-cc82554d537a\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-174mzkf\"><span class=\"dcr-vyhg7z\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">People in Fnideq wait at the Ceuta border hoping to see their missing friends or relatives.<\/span> Photograph: Abdel Majid Bziouat\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">An estimated 70,000 people who arrived late last week in Ceuta had been returned to Morocco in recent days, Spain\u2019s interior minister said Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Referencing posts on TikTok, Facebook and WhatsApp that had claimed Morocco was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/aug\/02\/ceuta-border-crossing-spain-morocco\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">letting people<\/a> cross the border, people arrived at Fnideq by foot or packed into buses and cars as they joined the surge of people crossing into Spain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Madrid sprang into action, working with Rabat to return the vast majority of those who crossed within 48 hours, even as it fended off <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/aug\/01\/spain-pedro-sanchez-calls-for-eu-meeting-ceuta-border-crossing\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">a political crisis<\/a> sparked by calls for Spain to be suspended from the Schengen free-movement zone.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"76a9ee82-de83-43d5-be38-6b73392a7e5c\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-10 | 10\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1rx5ky9\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-uyoh2p\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/commentisfree\/2026\/aug\/04\/ceuta-carnival-anti-migrant-content-opportunists-on-right-lesson-for-left\" class=\"dcr-f35c0u\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-vvxpdt\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6z6e7\">\n<div class=\"dcr-zh9rih\">Ceuta was a carnival of anti-migrant content for hateful opportunists on the right \u2013 and a lesson for the left | Jonathan Liew <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-oj13vq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ef9nua\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">As they returned to Moroccan soil, some said they had come home voluntarily. \u201cI was hungry for days and filled with fear,\u201d said Abselam, 19, from Kenitra in north-western Morocco.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">A Ceuta resident had eventually taken him in, giving him food and a place to sleep, before he decided to return home. \u201cIt\u2019s not worth it, there aren\u2019t jobs for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Others said they had been forced out of the Spanish territory. \u201cThe police surrounded a group of us and escorted us all the way towards the border,\u201d said Simo, 21, from Tetuan. \u201cWe didn\u2019t really have a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In recent days, NGOs across Spain have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.europapress.es\/epsocial\/migracion\/noticia-ong-lamentan-tragedia-ceuta-piden-proteger-dignidad-humana-denuncian-retorno-ninos-garantias-20260804145253.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">voiced concerns<\/a> that some of those who crossed into Ceuta and who were eligible for international protection were being returned before being allowed to exercise their right to request asylum.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">On Tuesday the Spanish government estimated that 2,000 people who had made the crossing were still in Ceuta. The tally includes at least 862 children who have been registered as unaccompanied minors, as Unicef Spain warned that dozens more could still be wandering the city\u2019s streets unprotected.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cMany small children crossed over; we don\u2019t know how many have disappeared,\u201d Susana Hidalgo, a migration expert for the organisation, told the broadcaster TVE. The result was a \u201ctremendously difficult\u201d situation in Ceuta.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cThere are many families on the other side of the border looking for their sons and daughters,\u201d she said, while in Ceuta \u201cthere are 10- and 12-year-old children asking for phones so they can call their mothers and tell them they\u2019re OK.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Spanish police said on Tuesday they had set up an office in Ceuta to gather reports of missing people.<\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\"><a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"#EmailSignup-skip-link-19\" class=\"dcr-76akua\">skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1tr4stg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-12qa5gp\">\n<hr class=\"dcr-1cjdlyj\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"EmailSignup-skip-link-19\" aria-label=\"after newsletter promotion\" role=\"note\" class=\"dcr-76akua\">after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The concerns over the fate of unaccompanied children in Ceuta were heightened on Tuesday after <a href=\"https:\/\/cadenaser.com\/nacional\/2026\/08\/03\/no-marruecos-no-las-lagrimas-de-un-nino-de-12-anos-en-ceuta-que-suplicaba-no-ser-devuelto-cadena-ser\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Spanish media published a video<\/a> that appeared to show a boy age 12 crying as he begged a soldier not to send him back to Morocco. After several bystanders intervened, pointing out that Spanish law impeded children from being deported alone, the operation \u2013 which played out just metres from the border \u2013 was halted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Days after the sudden influx, questions continue to linger as to what led to the mass crossing. Morocco has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/aug\/03\/ceuta-leader-border-crossing-morocco-spain\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">faced mounting accusations<\/a> over the role it may have played. \u201cPeople felt that this, if not orchestrated, was at least encouraged or permitted by Morocco,\u201d Juan Jes\u00fas Vivas, the long-serving conservative leader of Ceuta, said earlier this week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The insinuation was rejected by a senior Moroccan official. \u201cIt\u2019s simplistic to say that Morocco should just have used force to stop them. That is to completely misunderstand this phenomenon,\u201d the official told AFP.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cAt a certain point, the Moroccan law enforcement forces could no longer confront the migrants because the numbers were very large\u201d and because \u201cthe pull effect was very strong,\u201d he added. \u201cCould Spain, seeing them coming, have done something to stop them simply using weapons and security forces? That\u2019s not possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In a statement published on Sunday, Morocco\u2019s interior ministry laid blame with the \u201cexploitation of the digital sphere\u201d and \u201cthe spread of misinformation\u201d to explain the mass crossing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Spanish intelligence sources have suggested the influx could be traced to 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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The Moroccan official said Rabat had sought to warn Madrid about the repercussions of the ruling. \u201cWe started engaging with the Spanish side around 22-23 July, when the networks began talking about this,\u201d the official told AFP. \u201cWe explained that this ruling was going to create a problem. And it did create a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The claim was rejected by Spain\u2019s migration minister, Elma Saiz. \u201cAt no point was there any evidence, any report that alerted us to the magnitude of this unprecedented event,\u201d she told reporters in Madrid.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The uncertainty hovering over what exactly transpired extended to Fnideq, where the relatives gathered at the border spoke in hushed tones of what could have happened to their loved ones.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Many held on to hope, citing the trickle of good-news stories that had emerged in recent days, such as that of Fatima, who had spent the day waiting at the border with her family for a glimpse of her brother, who had crossed into Ceuta days earlier.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cMy brother\u2019s phone had run out of battery, but yesterday he borrowed the phone of a Spaniard to call me,\u201d she said. \u201cHe told me he would come back this morning, so here we are waiting. I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll arrive soon.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/morocco\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Morocco<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/spain\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Spain<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/migration\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Migration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/africa\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Africa<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/europe-news\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Europe<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/middleeast\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Middle East and north Africa<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Hundreds%20in%20Morocco%20gather%20near%20Ceuta%20border%20in%20anxious%20wait%20for%20missing%20loved%20ones&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/aug\/05\/hundreds-in-morocco-gather-near-ceuta-border-in-anxious-wait-for-missing-loved-ones?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2026%2Faug%2F05%2Fhundreds-in-morocco-gather-near-ceuta-border-in-anxious-wait-for-missing-loved-ones&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=world\/2026\/aug\/05\/hundreds-in-morocco-gather-near-ceuta-border-in-anxious-wait-for-missing-loved-ones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1kq7f60\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spain estimates 70,000 people who made the crossing have been returned, leaving about 2,000 still&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":3875,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3874"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3876,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3874\/revisions\/3876"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}