Sebta: Morocco locks down the border

The Ministry of the Interior has intensified its operations since the beginning of December. Significant reinforcements from the National Security, the Royal Gendarmerie and the Auxiliary Forces have been deployed to secure the area. Patrols are criss-crossing the hard-to-access forest trails around Fnideq and Belyounech, while the surveillance of road axes and checkpoints has been strengthened. This system also includes aerial surveillance to detect any suspicious movement.

This mobilization responds to the proliferation of false information on Facebook and WhatsApp, mentioning "facilities" to cross the border during the New Year’s Eve. The technical police are monitoring these inciting digital content. Any person involved in the manufacture or dissemination of these rumors is liable to legal proceedings.

This annual plan, supervised by high-ranking security officials, draws lessons from the attempted assaults recorded between 2021 and 2024. It comes in a particularly dark context. The coastal area is experiencing an unprecedented rise in human tragedies, with more than 30 deaths recorded since the beginning of the year, including minors, and dozens of missing persons.