“It was hell.”
The phrase surfaced repeatedly in interviews conducted by Le360 with men, women and children who made their way back to Fnideq after entering the occupied city. Many described sleepless nights wandering through neighborhoods they considered dangerous, saying they were left without shelter or assistance.
Women and minors spoke of “real fear” after witnessing attacks against other migrants.
“Every door was closed,” one young woman said. “Neither local residents nor the Spanish security forces responded to our calls for help.”
Several returnees said conditions deteriorated sharply during the night between Thursday and Friday. According to their accounts, armed individuals carrying firearms and knives targeted groups of migrants, particularly in the southern and western parts of the city. Some interviewees reported that women and children were also threatened or assaulted.
The reported violence compounded already difficult living conditions. Those interviewed described a constant struggle to find food and drinking water, made worse after many shops, cafés and supermarkets closed on Friday.
Faced with what many described as an unbearable situation, thousands eventually chose to return to Fnideq through the Bab Sebta border crossing.
Many of those interviewed said they had been persuaded to attempt the crossing by misleading information circulating on social media or by promises made by migrant smuggling networks.
Read also : Normalcy returns to Fnideq as life resumes around Bab Sebta
Bus stations in Tetouan, Tangier, Fnideq and Martil were crowded as thousands continued their journeys home to cities including Chefchaouen, Ouezzane, Larache, Ksar El Kebir and Kenitra.
According to the Spanish government, more than 48,000 of the estimated 50,000 to 60,000 people who reached Sebta during the recent migration surge have already returned.
Fnideq returns to its usual pace after days of tension near Bab Sebta.. le360
Speaking at a press briefing on Saturday, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said at least 67 migrants had died while attempting to reach Ceuta, describing the events as “sad” and “tragic.”
“In less than 48 hours, the situation in Ceuta has changed completely and a return to normal is now underway,” Grande-Marlaska said after an emergency meeting on the crisis.
For many of those now safely back, the experience appears to have ended any desire to make the journey again.
“We’ll never do it again,” several returnees told Le360, still visibly shaken by what they described as one of the most difficult experiences of their lives.
