Ceuta is not just Europe’s migration crisis; it is Africa’s wake-up call
In the early hours of July 30, thousands of people began pouring across the border separating Morocco from the Spanish exclave of Ceuta. By the time Spanish authorities regained control days later, between 50,000 and 60,000 people had crossed, most of them Moroccan and many of them very young.
Dozens died as people drowned at sea or were caught in the chaos surrounding the crossings. Madrid deployed additional security forces to contain what quickly became one of the largest migration emergencies in the history of the enclave.
However, within hours, another story began spreading online. Instead of discussing why so many young Moroccans were willing to risk their lives to reach Europe, social media was filled with claims that Israel had somehow engineered the crisis because of tensions between Spain and Israel. Yet there is no evidence for such claims.
Moreover, they distract attention from the real issue. They encourage people to search for hidden plots rather than confront uncomfortable realities and often end up reinforcing antisemitic tropes about secret manipulation of world events. Indeed, the story of Ceuta began long before current tensions between Madrid and Jerusalem, and it will almost certainly continue long after them.
The debate about Ceuta and Melilla
At the same time, there is also a separate debate about Ceuta and Melilla themselves. Moroccans often argue that the enclaves are remnants of a colonial past, while Spaniards maintain that they are and should remain Spanish territory. People can debate those questions endlessly. Nevertheless, for understanding this crisis, the argument is largely beside the point.
Whatever one’s position on sovereignty, Ceuta and Melilla are today part of Spain and therefore part of the European Union. Consequently, the young people risking their lives were not doing so because they suddenly cared about territorial disputes. Rather, they were doing so because crossing that border represented entry into a world of greater opportunity, and that is the real story.
Africa is by far the youngest continent on Earth, with a median age of about 19 years compared with more than 40 in Europe. For decades, economists have described this demographic reality as one of Africa’s greatest advantages. Indeed, while Europe and East Asia struggle with aging populations, Africa is expected to provide the labor force, energy, and innovation that could power economic growth for generations.
Yet, the scenes in Ceuta tell a different story. A young population is only an advantage if young people believe they have a future where they are. Instead, in Ceuta in 2021, in Melilla in 2022, and again in Ceuta this summer, thousands of young Africans chose dangerous crossings over staying home; some swam through rough waters, others climbed fences, some risked death, and many knew they could be deported.
Consequently, the message behind those choices should concern every African government far more than any conspiracy theory circulating online.
The reality behind the migration crisis
Many of those who crossed did not know what job they would find in Europe, where they would live, or whether they would even be allowed to stay. Nevertheless, they were still willing to take the risk.
Europe continues to represent something powerful in the imagination of millions of young Africans; not necessarily wealth, but stability, functioning institutions, decent public services, and the belief that hard work can improve one’s life. Whether that perception is entirely accurate is almost irrelevant. What matters, instead, is that, for many young Africans, it appears more convincing than the promises offered by their own countries.
Furthermore, the latest crisis is not an isolated event. In 2021, roughly 8,000 people crossed into Ceuta during a diplomatic confrontation between Morocco and Spain. In 2022, a mass attempt to enter Melilla ended in tragedy. This year’s crisis was larger than either.
The immediate trigger may have been rumors spreading online after a Spanish Supreme Court ruling concerning migrants intercepted at sea. However, rumors alone do not cause tens of thousands of people to leave; they simply accelerate a desire that already exists.
Thus, the underlying reality remains remarkably consistent: Large numbers of young people struggle with unemployment, limited social mobility, and economic uncertainty. At the same time, migration remains intertwined with the delicate relationship between Morocco and Spain, particularly regarding the Sahara and the status of Ceuta and Melilla.
Consequently, for Spain, the crisis has once again exposed its dependence on Moroccan cooperation to manage Europe’s only land border with Africa, making migration a recurring source of political leverage and diplomatic tension.
However, even that is ultimately a European debate. The African debate should be different. Africans should not be asking who is secretly behind the latest migration crisis. Instead, they should be asking why so many young Africans continue to believe that their future lies somewhere else.
No conspiracy theory can answer that question. After all, no foreign government created that sentiment, and no social media rumor can persuade tens of thousands of people to leave unless the desire to leave already exists.
Ultimately, that is the uncomfortable truth at the heart of Ceuta. Africa cannot simultaneously celebrate its youth as its greatest advantage while watching large numbers of that same youth risk their lives to leave. The real scandal is not that Europe continues to attract African youth. Rather, the real scandal is that so many African youths have lost confidence that their own countries can offer them a future worth staying for.
Therefore, if Africa’s young generation is truly its greatest asset, success will not be measured by how many young Africans make it to Europe. Instead, it will be measured by how many choose to stay because they genuinely believe they can build dignified and meaningful lives at home. Until then, Ceuta will not be remembered as an exception. Rather, it will be remembered as another warning.
The writer works for the Israel-Africa Institute.
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