Massive Exodus: 10,000 Moroccans Flood Ceuta Border in Summer Rush Home

Endless queues were recorded on Saturday and Sunday at the Ceuta-Morocco border. Moroccans from Europe, in transit to Morocco with their cars as part of the Marhaba Operation, had to wait two hours in the Loma Colmenar bagging area. "These critical days coincide with the patron saint’s festival, and in addition to the vehicles returning to Morocco for the holidays from Europe, many people who come to enjoy our fair also cross the border," explains the government delegation to El Faro de Ceuta.

Since June 15, the start date of the Marhaba Operation, nearly 220,000 MREs have used the Algeciras-Ceuta line to return to Morocco, a decrease of 1.2% compared to the same period last year. As for the number of cars, it decreased by 3.1%, from 52,206 to 50,603. This drop in traffic on this line has benefited the lines between Algeciras and Tanger-Med, and between Tarifa and Tanger-ville, with more than 500,000 travelers and 160,064 vehicles for the former, and 1.2 million passengers and 316,973 vehicles for the latter between June 15 and July 31, 2025.

The forecasts for this year’s Transit Operation indicate a 5% increase in the number of vehicles and nearly 4% in the number of passengers compared to the previous year. To avoid any congestion, the General Directorate of Civil Protection and Emergencies has recommended "planning in advance the journeys on the roads converging towards the embarkation ports, particularly in Algeciras, and, if possible, using alternative routes." It is also advised to arrive at the port with a ticket to facilitate traffic and reduce waiting times.