Social media rumours spark biggest migration crisis between Morocco and Spain in years

Thousands of Moroccans have been migrating towards the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, driven by viral social media posts suggesting the Spanish border was open. Several migrants claim they were not led by traffickers, but rather by the idea that they could cross. This mass migration has exposed serious control failures.

The crisis has resulted in a significant number of people moving back and forth across the border. According to Spanish authorities, around 69,500 migrants have returned from Ceuta to Morocco since last week's crossing. In contrast, Moroccan authorities report that about 40,000 people entered the enclave. The death toll stands at 72 on the Spanish side and 11 on the Moroccan side.

The situation has sparked tensions between Morocco and Spain, with Ceuta Regional President Juan Jesus Vivas accusing Rabat of encouraging and permitting the influx. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned against using irregular migration to pressure an EU member state. A senior Moroccan official stated that Spanish authorities should have anticipated the consequences of a court ruling that weakened a key deterrent against illegal migration.

Brief written by urgent.news from Euronews, MyJoyOnline Ghana, BBC World — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.