Morocco’s Interior Ministry says a sudden surge of people attempting to cross into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta is driven by misinformation circulated on social media and by human trafficking networks. The ministry reports that at least 11 people die during the attempt, with drowning accounting for most of the deaths, and describes the incident as involving a rush of roughly 40,000 people. Morocco attributes the scale of the movement to misleading posts that encourage crossings and to organised traffickers that facilitate illegal entry.
Spain, however, issues a substantially higher death toll. France 24 reports that Spain says at least 72 people died, a figure that is not aligned with Morocco’s count. The differing numbers mean the overall fatalities remain contested, even as both sides refer to the same week’s attempt to reach Ceuta. Morocco’s government frames the event as both an information problem and a criminal enterprise involving traffickers. The reports also indicate the crossings occur by sea and other border routes, with drowning identified by Morocco as the primary cause of death among those it counts.
