In Fnideq, young people are separated from Ceuta, the Spanish enclave located in North Africa, only a few kilometers and an iron fence, but the distance between the dream of reaching it and the decision to stay seems much greater.
Before August 15, calls spread on social media turned into new field movements towards the border, but behind that date was the story of a city searching for an economic alternative and young people who see immigration as an opportunity. On the other hand, others are clinging to survival.
Life below zero
Malika (a pseudonym), a mother of two children, came to Fnideq in search of an opportunity to "cross" after she heard that people were able to enter Ceuta after the events of July 30.
With eyes filled with tears, Malika, the mother of a three-year-old girl and an eight-year-old boy, says, “My life is below zero, and I have no life.”
The mother remained in Fnideq in response to what she heard about a new incursion into Ceuta on August 15. During these two weeks, she spends her day moving through the city’s alleys looking for food to feed her children, and spends the night outdoors.
She added in an interview with DW Arabia, "I am in a situation where I may do something to myself at any moment. My two sons are hungry. I am almost homeless, in fact, I am homeless." Wiping her tears, she said, "I do not have a job or stable housing, and my husband suffers from depression due to the severity of poverty. Sometimes he suddenly disappears and leaves me alone with the two children without expenses or shelter."
She continued, "My situation is very difficult, and we do not have anyone who cares for us and can support me and my children. That is why I want them to enter Ceuta. They will study and we will be fine."
On the other end of this journey is Ahmed, 22 years old, who came from the city of Wadi Zem to Fnideq after hearing about the crossing attempt.
In an interview with DW Arabia, the young man said that he does not find sufficient opportunities for work or building a future in his city, adding, “The situation is deplorable, and there is nothing in this country. I want to immigrate from this Morocco and go to other countries. I have no hope in this country,” Ahmed says angrily.
Ahmed stops talking to help one of his relatives sell juice and extends a cup of orange juice to a customer.
He continued his speech, saying: “There is nothing in this country: no work, no industries, no companies, nothing. My current income does not help me and is not enough to build the future.”
I chose to stay
Close to the border, Mohammed al-Dami, 30, makes a living from seasonal trade, but he monitors migration attempts from a different location. He is not thinking about leaving, although he admits that trade and work conditions are not stable.
Speaking to DW Arabia, he said, "I personally have never thought about emigrating. I buy, sell, and work normally; sometimes I have the capabilities and sometimes I don't. I have the possibility to emigrate, and I will not throw myself into the sea, in an attempt that may not end in arriving. Even entering Ceuta is frankly not worth all this trouble and risk. And do not throw yourself into ruin."
Regarding the first wave of crossings at the end of July, Al-Dami says, “I remember that everyone was heading towards the gate, and I kept working in this place. It was normal for me. In my view, if a person is able to live and secure his life, then praise be to God, but the future is in God’s hands.”
Al-Dami believes that the labor force has decreased significantly, and that in the near future the value and wages of the worker will increase because he will be a “rare commodity.”
Regarding the calls for August 15, the young man said, “I expected, due to the security preparations and the spread of the store, that nothing would happen. Frankly, since a large number of young people entered and returned from Ceuta, people’s psychology became bad and enthusiasm decreased greatly.”
As for Mounir Hamdouche, a merchant in his thirty-fourth year, he is considered an example of those who chose to stay.
With a smile on his face, Hamdouche said in an interview with DW Arabia, “I have never thought about emigrating. I have my store, my family, and small children, and even if the idea came to me, I would not be able to. As for me, if I only earned 100 dirhams and fed my children with it, thank God.”
He continues, "In addition to all the reasons, some people are impatient with trouble and misery, and are not satisfied. It is also a matter of conviction, for people who have begun to aspire to the best and to have all the conditions available to them, including a house and a car."
Economic alternatives
For traders in Fnideq, the repercussions of migration do not end at the border. Munir Hamdouche, who has been working in trade since 2012, although he chose to remain in Morocco, he acknowledges the difficult economic situation in the city.
He said, "I notice a decrease in the number of tourists by 50 percent, and this decline in tourism is directly reflected in merchants and owners of summer-related activities."
He added, "We want an economic renaissance in the city. Even the projects are stalled, or built and not yet launched. The city needs economic alternatives. This situation must be reconsidered."
This is confirmed by Muhammad Azouz, a civil society activist. In an interview with DW Arabia, Azouz considered that Fnideq had transformed from “an immigration crossing into a base for immigration from different regions and nationalities and has also become a stronghold for sub-Saharan African immigrants who are taking advantage of the opportunity to storm the city of Ceuta, which has turned the city into an exceptional situation.”
He believes that this was reflected in the city's economy and tourism within it, as well as its impact on the city's image and reputation. He said, "Fnideq is not just a crossing point towards Ceuta. Its geographical location made it historically connected to the neighboring city economically, socially, culturally and familially by marriage, and its proximity to the border made it directly affected by every change that occurred in the transit and migration movement."
Azouz continues his speech, saying, "Immigration is no longer just isolated events, but has become a given with economic, social, and cultural dimensions, in a city that is already experiencing a deep transitional phase in which immigration has become an essential part of its image and function."
He adds that the continuation of the current situation forces the search for "real economic alternatives for the city," especially since its repercussions also reach residents, merchants, and tourism workers. He believes that the continuation of this situation without real economic alternatives may make "immigration a permanent part of the scene."
“A new model of digital packaging”
Experts believe that the August 15 calls added a new element to the migration phenomenon. Many of the young people who arrived in Fnideq did not receive an invitation from an announced organization, but rather followed what was spreading on their mobile phones via social media networks.
For Ahmed Al-Dafri, a researcher in media and communication, what is happening in Fnideq represents “a new model of digital mobilization, which does not necessarily require a single leader or central body to manage the movement.”
Al-Dafri explains that platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, and messaging applications can turn into something like a “virtual leader,” by publishing messages and videos, exchanging information, and encouraging people to join a “collective movement,” as he describes it.
Al-Dhafri says that this type of content can "create a virtual reality in which the individual feels outside the group if he does not join it."
He added, "When video clips spread extensively, especially those documenting previous attempts in which individuals succeeded in crossing, this creates a feeling that everyone wants to emigrate, and that no one wants to stay."
