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“See you on August 15”: Ceuta Faces a New Rush

Will the scenes from last week repeat themselves? Clues to this have been found online—even with a specific date.(Bild: AFP/ABDEL MAJID BZIOUAT)

It’s been only a few days since the migrant surge on the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, and already there are mounting indications that a similar mass movement may be in the works. A specific date is even being targeted in social media groups: the city in North Africa is apparently set to be overrun again in mid-August.

Calls on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and WhatsApp forums are currently drawing attention. “Brothers, August 15, 2026,” “See you there on the 15th! Be on time!” are messages appearing in relevant social media groups. Apparently, Moroccan youth are organizing a new surge online.

Will the scenes from last week repeat themselves? Clues to this have been found online—even with a specific date.(Bild: AFP/ABDEL MAJID BZIOUAT)

Major Spanish daily newspapers such as “El País” and “ABC” apparently have access to Facebook groups with nearly 400,000 members and nine WhatsApp groups with several hundred people each. “Morocco’s youth are very well organized and connected through social media. In rural and poorer regions, many don’t even have access to basic food staples, but almost all of them have internet access,” explains Spanish sociologist María Guevara from Pablo de Olavide University in Seville.

Young migrants use social media as a source of information—but it’s often difficult for them to determine whether the facts being shared there are even accurate.(Bild: EPA/REDUAN)

Morocco’s Youth Vulnerable to Fake News on Social Media
This allowed the young people to prepare well in advance for a joint rush on Ceuta last week. The sociologist explains that because young Moroccans rely on information from social media, they “easily fall for fake news and manipulation.” The Spanish intelligence service also confirmed that last week, the young people believed misinformation spread by human-trafficking gangs.

For example, it was falsely reported that, following a recent ruling by the Spanish Supreme Court, now was the perfect time to enter Ceuta. According to the fake news, the direct deportations that are otherwise standard for Moroccans had been suspended there—which, however, was not true.

After learning that the promises of a hassle-free transfer to the Spanish mainland were fabricated, most of the migrants left the exclave again.(Bild: AP/Antonio Sempere)

Old forums and channels are being used to fuel a new influx
Breaking news: As the Spanish AI company “Golden Owl” discovered, it appears to be the same users who triggered last week’s border crossing by around 72,000—mostly young Moroccans—who are now also preparing the new surge for August 15. They are even using the same forums and channels for this purpose. 

In the days leading up to the mass influx on July 30, similar messages circulated, calling on people to gather in the Castillejos neighborhood near the border to make their way to Ceuta together. Consequently, Spanish authorities are taking the current social media reports about a new attempt on August 15 very seriously.

Buoys Installed as Barriers Against Migrants Swimming Across
To make another mass rush more difficult, the authorities have already installed an elongated buoy structure extending 500 meters out to sea. While the inflatable structure will hardly be able to prevent people from swimming the 300 meters from the Moroccan beach to the Spanish side, it serves as a “border barrier,” and the most recent surge was triggered primarily by a ruling from the Spanish Supreme Court, which prohibited direct deportations at the border with Ceuta if migrants had reached Spanish territory by swimming without having crossed any border barriers.

Skepticism is already growing among some migrants
Meanwhile, the latest analysis of social media by leading Spanish media outlets also shows that quite a few are beginning to doubt the information being circulated. Almost all of the migrants had already left Ceuta on Saturday after just 24 hours, when they realized that the promises of a hassle-free transfer to the Spanish mainland were pure fiction. Many Moroccans expressed their disappointment to reporters. They thought they would be welcomed with open arms in Ceuta because Spain needs workers.