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Western Sahara: Polisario leader Brahim Ghali expected to be reelected after ongoing Congress meeting
The Polisario movement, which seeks independence in disputed Western Sahara, started meeting Friday for leadership elections in the shadow of mounting tensions between host Algeria and Morocco, which controls most of the territory. More than 2,200 members of the...
Insurgencies: Three alleged members of Islamic State group arrested in Morocco and Spain
Moroccan and Spanish authorities have broken up a jihadist cell linked to the Islamic State group and arrested its three members in a joint operation, Morocco's security services said Wednesday. One of the "extremist elements" was arrested by special forces from...
Podcast: Sahel and North Africa week in review 7 Jan 2023
Greetings to our second episode of Week in Review and a quick summary of what we are tracking in the Sahel and in North Africa. Today is Saturday, the 7th of January 2023. This past week was somewhat subdued in the region largely due to the year-end holiday season and...
Spain cracks down on use and abuse of undocumented migrants in agriculture
Spanish police said Thursday they have broken up a criminal group that exploited undocumented migrant workers in the agricultural sector, mainly from Morocco, and sold them false documents. Officers arrested 43 people in the southern province of Malaga suspected of...
Morocco: EU parliament worker and boyfriend of arrested Greek MEP implicates Morocco in corruption scandal
The EU on Wednesday defended a trip by its top diplomat to Morocco, which has been linked, along with Qatar, to a graft scandal unrolling at the European Parliament. As "there is no proof" of wrongdoing at this stage, it is right the trip by EU foreign policy chief...
Morocco’s argan industry in need of stimulus
By Kaouther Larbi: Morocco's argan oil is highly prized by the cosmetics industry, yet it is now mostly produced by elderly workers, raising questions about how long the artisanal practice can continue. A dozen women, sitting on the floor of a workshop inland from...
Migration: Tragedy at sea with dead-by-drowning of 13 Moroccan migrants in failed sea crossing
The bodies of 13 Moroccans have been recovered after their boat sank off the country's southern coast while attempting to reach Spain's Canary Islands, Moroccan media reported. Spain is one of the main gateways for migrants to reach Europe. Tens of thousands also try...
Covid-19: Ban on entry into Morocco for travelers from China takes effect on 3 January
Morocco said Saturday it will ban entry to all travellers from China, where cases of Covid-19 have exploded. Other nations, including France, Britain and Morocco's cross-strait neighbour Spain, have said they will require negative Covid tests for all travellers from...
Morocco: Migrant incursions from Morocco to Melilla on new year’s eve
A group of Moroccans entered Spain's Melilla enclave overnight Saturday-Sunday, a rights group said, out of dozens who attempted the crossing at one of two EU land borders with Africa. "Dozens of young Moroccans attempted to cross" into Melilla from the border town...
Morocco: French national seeks UN help to fight extradition to US from Morocco
The lawyer of a Frenchman held in Morocco and fighting extradition to the United States for alleged hacking told AFP Wednesday he was appealing to a UN body to intervene. Philippe Ohayon, who represents 21-year-old Sebastien Raoult, said a prison guard had shown his...
Morocco sentences for migrants over Melilla tragedy ‘unjust’: rights group
A Moroccan rights group on Saturday slammed "unjust" punishments given to migrants sentenced over a mass attempted crossing into the Spanish enclave of Melilla that left at least 23 dead. Around 2,000 people, many of them Sudanese, stormed the frontier on June 24 in...
MENA: How to tame hawkish Netanyahu as US fears new right-wing government in Israel could derail Abraham accords
The United States plans a meeting early in 2023 between Israel and Arab nations that recognize it as it pushes the incoming right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu to show restraint, a US official said Tuesday. Netanyahu is set to take office with the most...
France set to readjust visa issuance policy for Maghreb visitors
By Delphine Touitou: France and Morocco announced Friday they were mending fences after months of tensions over visas, and said President Emmanuel Macron would visit the North African kingdom in early 2023. Speaking in Rabat alongside her Moroccan counterpart Nasser...
Morocco makes history, reaches semifinals at World Cup 2022
COMMENTARY By Arezki Daoud: Morocco has achieved a miracle. Its victory over Portugal to reach the semifinals of World Cup 2022 is not just about excellent sportsmanship. It is not just about flawless execution with flawless statistical data. That would be too...
Spain looks for 12 who fled plane after ’emergency landing’
Spanish police were still searching for 12 passengers who fled their plane Wednesday after an emergency landing at Barcelona airport following what may have been a fake medical incident, officials said. They were part of a group of 28 people on a Pegasus Airlines...
Morocco’s fertilizer export earnings to reach new records, used in diplomatic competition
By Ismail Bellaouali: A global fertiliser supply shock deepened by Russia's Ukraine invasion has brought boom times for the North African phosphate superpower Morocco and earned the kingdom new diplomatic capital. Rabat is using the leverage especially in the...
Morocco: Social protests erupt in Morocco
Protesters turned out in force to march in Morocco's capital Rabat Sunday to denounce the "high cost of living and repression", amid surging inflation and rising social discontent. "The people want lower prices... The people want to eliminate despotism and...
UNESCO set to give Algerian Rai music and Tunisian Harissa heritage status
The French baguette, Algerian Rai music and Tunisia's harissa condiment are among this year's contenders for recognition as intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO, which started deliberations Monday in Morocco. The United Nations' cultural agency is examining 56...
Morocco: Two million captagon pills seized in port of Tangier
Moroccan authorities Friday seized more than two million amphetamine-type captagon pills, foiling an "international trafficking attempt" to West Africa, police said. The pills were found at the Tanger Med industrial port complex on the kingdom's northern coast, the...
Western Sahara: As conflict persists, UN urges new talks
The UN Security Council called Thursday on the parties to the conflict over the disputed Western Sahara to resume negotiations toward a settlement. The vote on the US-drafted resolution was 13 in favor with abstentions by Kenya and Russia. Western Sahara, a Spanish...
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