Marouane El Mokadim, a 19-year-old Moroccan, vanished under mysterious circumstances aboard an Armas ferry traveling from Beni Ansar Port to Motril Port in Spain. Although it was confirmed that he boarded the vessel, he never arrived at his destination. The reasons for his disappearance remain unknown, and the company's silence has only deepened the uncertainty, raising serious questions about his fate. On the night of Saturday, February 20, 2024, around 11 PM, 19-year-old Moroccan Marouane El Mokadim said goodbye to his mother and other family members at Beni Ansar Port in Nador. He was about to board the Spanish ferry Armas bound for Motril, Spain. Dressed entirely in black : a jacket, trousers, and shoes. Marouane carried a bag weighing roughly 20 kilograms. These small details remain etched in the memory of his loved ones. No one imagined it would be the last time they saw him. Since that night, Marouane has vanished under mysterious circumstances, and no trace of him has been found to this day. From Spain to Morocco... A Final Holiday Visit It was Marouane's first visit to Morocco since legalizing his status and obtaining Spanish residency. At 17, he had arrived in Spain via an irregular migration boat and spent time in a shelter for unaccompanied minors before later moving in with friends. His return home was driven by a longing to reunite with family and celebrate Eid al-Fitr. He planned to return to Spain just one week after the holiday. On the night of February 20, Marouane boarded the Armas ferry, which was scheduled to dock in Motril by 7 AM the next morning. During the journey, he sent his family videos from the ship's deck, showing the calm sea and gentle waves. His tone and demeanor were calm and cheerful, there was no hint of anything being wrong. «At exactly 2:28 AM, I received a call from him. He told me he was in the ship's cafeteria. He didn't mention any problems or anything unusual. But after that call, we lost all contact with him», his brother Mohamed El Mokadim told Yabiladi. At 7 AM, the family tried to reach Marouane again, but his phone was off. At first, they assumed the battery had died. But when Marouane's friends, who shared an apartment with his brother Mohamed in Spain, confirmed he hadn't arrived, the family grew alarmed. A relative living in Gijón went to the local police and officially reported Marouane missing on February 22. Initial investigations confirmed that Marouane did not enter Spanish territory that day. His name was not registered at any border checkpoint, even though the ferry company confirmed he had boarded in Nador. Silence from the Company and a Suspicious Camera Failure The family contacted Armas, which verified that Marouane was listed among the passengers and had indeed boarded the ferry. However, when the Spanish lawyer hired by the family requested surveillance footage from the ship, the company claimed that the cameras had not been operational that day. Marouane's family found this explanation «unacceptable and deeply suspicious», according to Mohamed. «What's most troubling is that Marouane's bag was never found among the luggage at the Spanish port, even after authorities reviewed all remaining items. This only adds to the mystery», he brother argued. The lawyer also filed a request with Moroccan telecom operators Maroc Telecom and Inwi to determine the last known location of Marouane's Moroccan phone. Meanwhile, Spanish telecom operator Digi confirmed that Marouane's Spanish phone had not been switched on since the night he disappeared. Moroccan authorities confirmed that Marouane had left Moroccan soil via Beni Ansar on February 20, while Spanish authorities confirmed that he never entered through Motril, according to documents reviewed by Yabiladi. Interpol in Madrid, contacted by Moroccan authorities, confirmed that Marouane had left Spain on February 14, the day he traveled to Morocco, and was registered as a passenger on the return ferry, but never arrived in Spain. Eyewitness Accounts and a Year of Silence One year after Marouane's disappearance, and following a campaign launched by his brother Mohamed on social media, a woman claiming to have been on the same ferry commented under a post, saying she had witnessed a fight between Marouane and a crew member. She said Marouane fainted during the altercation and that the crew told passengers he would be taken to a doctor on board, but he was never seen again. Another man later confirmed the same account, saying he remembered the incident clearly and hoped to be summoned by authorities for an official statement. The Family's Fight for Truth and Justice On February 10, 2025, nearly a year after Marouane's disappearance, his brother Mohamed went on a three-day hunger strike in front of the Armas company's office in Beni Ansar. He was protesting what he described as neglect by the company and the authorities' sluggish response to the case. Following the protest, he was received by the Public Prosecutor at the Nador Court of Appeal, who agreed to open an investigation. The court stated it had contacted the company to request access to the surveillance footage and had heard from some passengers, though none reported noticing anything suspicious. A separate case was opened in a Spanish court in May 2025, but no developments have been announced since. As the one-year mark passed, coinciding with Eid al-Fitr, the holiday Marouane had come to celebrate before disappearing, Mohamed resumed another hunger strike. He expressed deep frustration and anger over the ongoing silence and blamed the ferry company. «How does a young man board a ship and vanish without a trace? Why did the cameras malfunction only that night? Where did his bag and phones go? And why has the company failed to give any clear answers? Is this negligence—or a cover-up?». These are the painful questions Marouane's family is still asking, one year on, in the hope that the truth will finally come to light.
