Toddler’s Plea Highlights Family Separation Crisis at Ceuta-Morocco Border

Aboubaker has not seen his father, Abdelilah, blocked in Ceuta due to the closure of the borders. During last Friday’s demonstration in Fnideq, he was photographed holding a sign on which he wrote how much he missed his father. This image, which shows the suffering of families separated due to the health crisis that led to the closure of borders, has gone viral on social media.

For four months, Abdelilah has been without a job, without money and without food. He lived with friends during the lockdown. His wife, Hanane, who worked for 16 good years as a cleaning lady in Ceuta, was able to join Fnideq before the borders closed on March 12, 2020, to take care of their children aged 18, 8 and 3. Since then, they have not seen each other.

Abdelilah currently works in a cafe in Ceuta to support his family. Like him, many Moroccans are sending money to their loved ones to help them cope with this health crisis, one of the worst crises ever known to date.