‘Operation Castillejos’ under the spotlight

1. Multiple motives and a single purpose: freedom and a dignified life
2. External factors: possible conspiracy?
3. Who are these candidates?
4. The Moroccan government: from ostrich policy to expected action
5. Testimonials: candidates, families and internet users
6. Morocco and Spain: guardian angels in the service of stability

The cities of Nador, Tetouan and Castillejos have gone through very difficult times due to the large influx of migrants trying to cross the border crossings of Ceuta and Melilla clandestinely to reach Spanish territory from Moroccan soil.

The so-called ‘Operation Castillejos’ targeted Moroccan and foreign youths and minors and promoted the mirage of the ‘European El Dorado’, urging them to meet on 15 September in Tarajal to flee forward together and risk their lives for ‘a supposedly better life’; being followers of some influential people on social networks who spread rumoured successes after an illegal emigration adventure. 

Although clandestine immigration from Ceuta and Melilla is considered a known year-round process, the migratory pressure of 15 September remains an exception in the history of the Kingdom. 

Multiple motives and a single purpose: freedom and a dignified life

When we ask the question: why do these Moroccan minors and young people venture to Ceuta? We are faced with a series of factors that have pushed most of them to escape from the reality they live in search of a better situation. 

Before diving into these causes, the alarming official figures of the Moroccan Economic, Social and Environmental Council provide a clear answer and a logical explanation; they reveal that 4.3 million Moroccans between the ages of 15 and 35 are unemployed and untrained, 1.5 million of whom are between 15 and 24 years old.

Emigration is not only an economic issue, but also an ideological and social one.
In fact, these factors are mainly related to two axes: the socio-economic situation of the candidates, on the one hand, the collective imaginary, their personality, and their relationship with their homeland and their expectations for the future, on the other hand. These two blocks involve multiple motives that have led this social category to choose to pursue the unknown in search of the best.

• Lack of efficient family upbringing and lack of a protective father figure.
• Lack of social services, placement, communication and listening.
• Failure of the education and vocational training system to integrate these young people and lack of civic education.
• Poverty, unemployment and corruption.
• Lack of future prospects.
• The European dream rooted in the collective imagination and nurtured every year by the image of the MREs returning to the country.
• The law on minors that governs the situation of migrants in Spain and which attracts thousands of minors who aspire to nationality.
• Lack of a culture of effort and responsibility, in search of an easy life, a high salary and a car.
• The pessimistic discourse of nihilists that reigns in social networks alongside the bellicose rhetoric animated by disinformation and lies.
• The influential ‘Harraga’ movement on social networks that sells illusion. 

Given these factors, the thousands of minors and young adults, victims of the adverse outcome of successive government policies, have come to remind us that there is still a long way to go for the country to move towards shared prosperity. 

External factors: possible conspiracy?

The organisation and coordination of the ‘great flight’ of young people and minors towards the Ceuta border crossing, which was set for 15 September in a virtual manner through dubious pages on social networks, raised suspicions about the origin of these calls. 

The fact that the events in Fnideq coincided with the presidency of the Kingdom of Morocco at the 57th session of the Human Rights Council, a major global meeting at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva to discuss issues related to human rights, migration and asylum, led several political analysts to hypothesise a conspiracy by foreign actors who have an interest in inflaming the social situation in Morocco by spreading false news and disinformation campaigns.

Citizens, authorities and social media activists point the finger at Algeria as an announced accomplice through Algerian candidates infiltrated among Moroccans. With its national strategy against the ‘Moroccan enemy’, it is taking advantage of the critical situation the North African country is going through to damage the Kingdom's image at the international level. 

The Algerian tactic also seeks to destabilise the borders between Morocco and Spain by launching new appeals on social networks via the ‘Harraga’. Moroccan and Spanish intelligence services detected this by deducing that most of the accounts supporting mass immigration were real and ‘fake’ Moroccan and Algerian accounts created a year ago to intentionally promote illegal migration.

In this sense, the Algerian media have spared no effort in publishing fake news about the Castillejos operation, turning the tide of events towards the extreme by putting the spotlight on the empty part of the glass in an offensive discourse that denies any kind of progress and threatens social stability.

The mission is to weave a narrative against Morocco, causing instability both internally and externally; while the aim is to divert attention away from Algeria's internal conflicts and strive to damage the image of the Royal Court by raising a false sense of repression in order to incite people to revolt in a clear intention to destabilise the country.

Who are these candidates?

They are thousands of mostly Moroccan migrants alongside foreigners who gathered at the border crossings with Spain and decided to defy the imposed obstacles. The stories of these young people and minors indoctrinated with fallacious ideas are very similar and constitute a sample of those without jobs, training, education or future prospects, whose only goal is to escape a tedious daily life. 

According to official statistics, most of the 4,455 candidates for illegal immigration arrested were expelled from the town of Castillejos to other destinations within the country (Rachidía, Beni Mellal and Ben Guerir). They are a total of 3,795 Moroccan adults, 141 Moroccan minors and 519 foreigners including Algerians, Tunisians and sub-Saharan Africans.

In the city of Nador, Moroccan public forces intercepted 434 Moroccans, 5 Bangladeshis, 6 sub-Saharan Africans and 2 Algerians during searches. In addition, 70 instigators of sub-Saharan and Algerian migration were arrested.

The Moroccan government: from ostrich policy to expected action

No one can deny that Morocco has seen significant progress in a number of areas. However, these attempts at mass and risky immigration make us look again and reassess the reality that there is still enormous progress to be made. 

Building a strong social state is indeed the great challenge facing the Akhannouch government, which has no reason to opt for an ostrich policy in these cases, nor to lose sight of the large number of young people who are still willing to risk their lives for a European dream that has turned into a nightmare.

As far as employment in Morocco is concerned, the Kingdom has made great strides and significant changes, attracting a large number of investors. Obviously, having a strong social state with an inclusive labour market is not an overnight change; however, in order to move forward on this path, the development system adopted must be updated; taking measures that citizens see as very timely, such as:

• - Strengthening the middle class to reduce the social gap and inequalities.
• - Advancing in the creation of value (GDP) and generating employment through an inclusive market for this category of young people. 
• - End endemic unemployment and focus on the informal sector as a major employer.
• - Open a serious debate on the integration of youth into the economic fabric, the culture of negativity and cynicism towards the country.
• - Provide quality education, both academic and civic.
• - Establish a contract of reconciliation and trust with young people to end the boycott of the political process.
• - Prevail meritocracy, enforce the law and consolidate communication.
• - Control waves of harmful influencers and encourage positive content.

Testimonials: candidates, families and internet users

The events of the mass assault of illegal migrants have aroused everyone's interest, and to understand it, it is necessary to take into account the opinions of the participants in this operation, their families and public opinion. Here are some of them: 

‘I came to Fnideq in the hope that I would succeed in crossing to the other side, which did not happen,’ said a 17-year-old candidate. 

‘I spent 12 hours walking from Tangier to get here, and I tried twice to cross the border and failed’, said another candidate.

‘The events in Ceuta are due to the miserable conditions in Morocco and the lack of work, I find this a lame justification; since if we look at the ages of the candidates and their social class between low and middle and poor; we deduce that they are not starving,’ said one netizen.

‘I will stay here and try again until I get it, because my country has given me nothing. I have a diploma, why can't they give me a job or let me emigrate,’ insisted one of the kids.

‘I am old and I want a solution, the government doesn't pay attention to us, doesn't look at our situation and doesn't feel sorry for us. Their children go by car and we face death, don't they fear the day when we will meet God?’ declared one of the fathers.

‘I came with my wife from the outskirts of the city of Safi, to look for my only son, 15 years old, who ran away from home with several young men to emigrate,’ said the father of one of the candidates.

‘I have been told that my son is being held at the border crossing, and I am waiting for him to be handed over to me so that I can return home. I haven't slept and I want my son back,’ said a mother.

‘My son lacks nothing, we both live a modest life. He was studying and doing well; it was only the boys who manipulated him to go with them. We prefer to live with the little we have here in our country much better than in another country,’ added another mother.

‘Unfortunately, today's young people no longer want to make an effort, there is so much to do in Morocco, why are we going abroad,’ explained a father.

‘Poverty is not a shame, nor a reason to risk one's life. Today's youth do not know the meaning of contentment and patience and want to achieve miracles in a short time, and this is the result’, declared a father.

‘The events in Castillejos resemble the Indian film ‘The Life of Goats’, the Moroccan version is titled ‘Fugitives of Morocco’; but it is the stupidest clandestine immigration operation in history,’ wrote some internet users.

‘Dreaming of a utopian version of the welfare state, where everyone wants social benefits and is unwilling to offer contributions, makes no sense. Everyone wants a strong state that subsidises everything without having to pay taxes. Which is impossible,’ add other activists on social media.

Morocco and Spain: guardian angels in the service of stability

These episodes have once again highlighted how irregular migration remains a major problem that Morocco and Spain have to fight to prevent illegal mass migration, often promoted by criminal gangs involved in human smuggling.

The Moroccan and Spanish authorities have been cooperating closely in recent days, following the spread of illegal immigration calls on 15 September. Spain has praised, in this regard, the deployment of Moroccan security forces to prevent the massive clandestine passage of migrants.

Thanks to the high alert, deploying police, Royal Gendarmerie and auxiliary forces to control the area, the Moroccan authorities have been able to achieve very positive results in recent months, as they prepare for new calls for a massive illegal assault on 30 September after the failure of 15 September:

• Frustrating more than 11,300 attempts to emigrate illegally in August compared to 45,015 since the beginning of the year. 
• 60 people arrested between 9 and 11 September in several cities, including minors, for fabricating and disseminating false information on social networks inciting the organisation of collective illegal migration operations. 
• Dismantling of 177 illegal immigration networks.
• 7,000 Moroccan police officers deployed between Tangiers and Castillejos to prevent incidents. 
• Establishment of dozens of fences to make access to the coasts more difficult.
• No entry of irregular immigrants through the Moroccan border.
• Special buses at the crossing to transport and return the candidates.
• Calm restored after clashes that left security forces injured and material damage.
• Tracking of all digital content on social networks related to direct incitement to assault the security fence separating Melilla and Nador and Ceuta and Castillejos.