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Two recent disappearances at the «Tribal dynamo» music festival have sparked alarm. Both missing men, named Anas and in their twenties, vanished under unsettlingly similar circumstances at different festival editions.
22-year-old Anas Auje, a student, left Marrakech for the festival on December 31st, 2022. He informed his family the venue changed due to authorities' intervention. Initially meant to happen in Guelmim, a city in southern Morocco often called the Gateway to the Sahara, the festival took place in Tafraout, a small town situated in the central part of the Anti-Atlas Mountains.
«At first we all objected to his travel», recounted his sister Fatima, «but we eventually gave in, out of his desire to vent». «Anas had been involved in a traffic accident that caused the paralysis of one of his hands, and he couldn’t leave bed for six months», his sister recalled.
January 1st, a frantic Anas called his father, screaming and naming two of his friends before the line went dead, the sister said. «If anything bad happens to me, it's their fault», Anas screamed before the connection abruptly cut out. The family then heard him faintly reciting the Shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith.
His family couldn't reach him thereafter. One of his friends, whose names he screamed earlier that night, answered Anas’ phone and later claimed that the young man had taken LSD and «hallucinated», but offered no further explanation.
«Every time we called, they told us that he had not regained consciousness yet. Finally, they told us that he had left and that they did not know where he was, and that they had his phone and backpack», the sister told Yabiladi.
Upon arriving at the festival grounds, Anas' father encountered a stranger sent by his friends to return Anas' belongings.
He then reported the incident to the Royal Gendarmerie and searched nearby hospitals, but found no trace of his son. «Back in Marrakech, my father filed a complaint against Anas' friends. They were questioned, but their conflicting statements and claims of memory loss due to drug use led to their release without phone analysis», Fatima concluded.
The investigation remains stalled, leaving the family with unanswered questions and no further leads.
Another Anas, an eerily similar disappearance
Similarly, 25-year-old Anas Abekhane experienced the same disappearance at the previous festival edition. Initially, Anas from Casablanca hadn't planned to attend. Instead, he'd traveled to Mirleft, a small town and rural commune in Sidi Ifni province, in early December to launch a small project. «We helped him rent a house there, aiming to convert it into a guest house for tourists», explained his mother, Amina.
A month before his disappearance, everything was normal. «We communicated daily», Amina added, «until he decided to attend the festival in Tarmigt, near Ouarzazate». Upon arrival, he contacted his father via a friend's phone (his own was damaged). Anas explained he'd been robbed and requested they call him back on the same number in an hour and a half once the issue was resolved.
And so it was. His father called at 1:30 pm, but received no answer, which understandably heightened the family's worry. «We kept calling the same number through the night until 4 pm the next day», Amina added. Finally, the friend with the phone answered, explaining that Anas was «in a hysterical state». They all slept afterward, and upon waking, discovered Anas had packed his things and vanished without a trace.
«This was their initial story», Amina emphasized, «but later they changed it, claiming he left without any belongings». This conflicting information left both the family and friends baffled.
The family immediately went to the area and notified the gendarmes. They also searched nearby hospitals, but found nothing. «Initially, we reported it as a missing person case», Amina explained, «but the unclear circumstances pushed us to file a complaint against his friends upon returning to Casablanca. Last Friday, the Crown Prosecutor finally opened an investigation, and we anxiously await its outcome».
Two weeks after Anas Abekhane disappeared, his family received a phone call. «Claiming to be from the Spanish embassy in Morocco, the caller stated Anas had immigrated to Spain and was in a Madrid police station needing blankets and food. Despite the suspicious details, the news gave the family hope. We sent relatives abroad to confirm, only to discover it was a cruel hoax», Anas Abekhane's mother said.
Festival organizers respond to criticism after disappearances
Following the two eerily similar disappearances, social media users launched the hashtag #justice_for_anas, raising questions about the «Tribal Dynamo» festival's organization. The festival's management, deeply affected by the incidents, participated in search efforts and shared photos on social media. Expressing regret, they distanced themselves from the disappearances, stating they hoped «no people are behind this» and emphasizing their commitment to maintaining the festival's image.
Following two recent disappearances at the «Tribal Dynamo» festival, the first edition of which launched in 2015, organizers addressed concerns. They emphasized the event's popularity among techno music fans and cited a deliberate choice to hold it in December - attracting foreign tourists during holidays - to promote tourism and showcase local art in the desert setting.
Regarding concerns about drug use at the free festival, organizers clarified their stance: «We neither encourage nor tolerate such behavior, but we respect individual freedoms and cannot prevent it. We're responsible solely for the presented art», organizers told Yabiladi.
Acknowledging unconfirmed reports about operating without a license, they explained they were attempting to obtain one repeatedly. However, they claim regional authorities reject their applications due to complaints from associations alleging the festival promotes «heresy» and «satanism» - accusations firmly denied by the organizers.
«Our festival's goal is noble», they stressed. «We aim to bolster tourism, and the atmosphere is one of warmth, love, and peace among diverse nationalities. Families with children often attend, contrary to recent portrayals. Thousands of volunteer musicians join us, too».
