Hundreds of messages on social networks exchanged between Moroccans indicate a possible second attempt to enter the territory of the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, writes "El Pais". "See you there on August 15", people from Morocco write in WhatsApp and Facebook groups seeking advice and information about a potential opportunity to cross the border with Spain, after more than 60,000 people invaded Ceuta on July 30 and caused a huge crisis in the coastal city, which is located on the African continent. An investigation by the Spanish media "El Pais” and the fact-checking platform "Maldita” shows that the discussions on social networks are continuing. Moroccans are debating whether this will really be possible or is it an attempt to fool them again.
A new attempt to cross the border on August 15?
The date of August 15 does not seem to be just a rumor, according to an investigation by Spanish journalists. "Brothers, 8/15/2026”, wrote one user in a WhatsApp group called "Migration to Ceuta and Melilla”, created last week. The Spanish "El Pais” contacted the user to ask if the aim was for migrants from Morocco to try to enter Ceuta again in the middle of the month. "Yes, maybe even more”, the user replied.
The Spanish newspaper checked five Facebook groups with hundreds of thousands of members and nine WhatsApp groups with hundreds more users. An investigation by fact-checking organization "Maldita" found the existence of 10 groups with 422,560 members, other smaller WhatsApp groups, and scattered posts on Instagram. In many of the messages, users express enthusiasm and a desire to try to re-enter Spanish territory. However, quite a few people in these groups warn of the danger of such actions. "Don't take any risks - the situation is still tense. I probably won't go; I'll go at the end of the month, when things calm down. Are they really that stupid? We caught them off guard the first time, but now they've figured it out. "Be patient, wait and take advantage of a security loophole," one user wrote.
The August 15 rumor could also be a way to attract people from other towns in the Ceuta area, who could be forced to pay human traffickers to get a place on a small boat, El Pais reported. "Social networks are practically the only source of information about Spain that these young people have," Maria Guevara, a researcher at the Pablo de Olavide University in Seville, told the Spanish newspaper. According to her, young people in Morocco maintain very close contact with each other and seek information from each other, but usually only share the benefits of potential migration to Spain, and the risks are discussed much less.
Recommendations for boats and equipment
On Instagram, the posts are a mix of personal profiles and those specifically dedicated to explaining how to cross the border, but with a personal tone: most share their photos with the date August 15, 2026, and "everything will be seen on that day” is repeated often, "Maldita” writes. Many of the identified profiles had never published posts related to migration before, and published on the topic for the first time between July 31 and August 3.
The strategies used to attract those wishing to cross to Spain are diverse, writes the fact-checking platform. On Facebook, various groups and profiles promote emigration to Ceuta and other parts of Europe with photos of motorboats or other types of vessels. One of these pages, created in July 2025, often posts photos of motorboats, inflatable kayaks or information about the distance between the Moroccan maritime border and the fence on Tarajal beach in Ceuta - apparently as a lure for those who want to emigrate to the autonomous city.
Conspiracies and missing people
Conspiracy theories about what happened recently, or whether the sea barrier can be crossed by swimming, are also creating discussions. "My husband went out to pray and saw someone running, not understanding what was happening. Around nine o'clock I heard a commotion outside; I looked in and saw children running. Someone asked them what was going on and a boy said: "Ceuta is open.” And he kept repeating it to the next person until chaos ensued. "Mobile phones made everything easier," one woman explained on Facebook of the night tens of thousands crossed the border to enter Spain.
At the same time, dozens of posts on social networks are seeking information about their relatives who tried to cross into Ceuta and disappeared. This is the other reality, writes "Maldita” - that of people who try to emigrate but never reach their goal, and also of their families who search for them in groups where the stories of those who have succeeded are mainly shared. Most of them are young - under 30, and they even encourage others to follow the same path.