Social media shifts from migration calls to search for missing in Ceuta crisis

Social media in Morocco has shifted from amplifying calls for migration to becoming a critical tool for locating individuals missing since the mass entry of tens of thousands of people into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Desperate parents are actively seeking news of their children, and local pages are circulating images of young people and minors whose whereabouts remain unknown.

Platforms like X, Instagram, and TikTok, which previously encouraged people to travel to Ceuta, are now the main channels where families search for answers. Experts note that these networks played a dual role: first, as amplifiers of the "call effect," and now as a space for families seeking information in the absence of official updates. Spanish security forces estimate that around 73,500 people have returned to Morocco, with Spanish police sources reporting 72 deaths as of Sunday. Morocco has not released any official figures on rescues, fatalities, injuries, or disappearances.

Mohamed Benaissa, president of the Northern Observatory for Human Rights, stated that the lack of official communication has turned social media into an improvised search platform. The local page Tetouan Tube published photographs of 16 missing youths with a plea for good news, noting that another group, including a girl, has also disappeared without a trace. This publication, followed by hundreds, urged users to share the images to help locate them in Ceuta or Castillejos (Fnideq).

Tetouan Tube also shared images of another 16 young people, some appearing to be minors, and reported receiving notices of new disappearances. El Faro de Fnideq similarly published photos of twelve other youths missing since Thursday. Benaissa described social media as a "key player" in managing this migration crisis, highlighting its role in both encouraging the journey and facilitating the current search efforts. He criticized the absence of official communication from Morocco regarding the crisis and the silence of institutions like the Moroccan Red Crescent, which he believes should be coordinating search efforts and supporting families.