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New influx of migrants raises concern in Italy
The recent arrivals have sparked protests by locals in some areas, after a few dozen migrants tested positive for the coronavirus after disembarking. Italy is facing a surge in migrants, with arrivals almost one-third higher so far this year than last, interior...
Morocco: Four arrested in Nador on suspicion of terrorism
Rabat, July 7, 2020 - Morocco on Tuesday arrested four alleged members of a "terrorist cell" linked to the Islamic State group who had plotted to attack "sensitive sites" in the kingdom, the interior ministry said. The men, aged between 21 and 26, were arrested in...
Moroccan authorities’ relentless harassment of journalist Omar Radi
Moroccan authorities have arrested a journalist for "public drunkenness and violence", authorities said Monday, days after opening an investigation into his alleged links to foreign intelligence services. Omar Radi has been at the centre of a spat between Morocco and...
Morocco and Algeria report record numbers of Covid-19 cases
Rabat (AFP) - Morocco reported Sunday 698 additional novel coronavirus infections, the highest one-day increase since the outbreak began in early March, with numerous cases discovered in a port city factory. The new figures bring the official total in the North...
How despair and misery fuel North Africa migration
"Here, I don't exist -- I die little by little. My only hope is to leave for Europe." Algiers, June 25, 2020 (By Amal Belalloufi with Aymen Jamli in Tunis) - "Here, I don't exist -- I die little by little," said Hamid, a young Algerian, his gaze fixed on Mediterranean...
Morocco cracks down on abortion practice
Rabat, June 24, 2020 - Moroccan police said they arrested 11 people Tuesday for "illegal abortions" in the kingdom, where prison sentences for terminating pregnancies remain a topic of fierce public debate. National security said it had opened an investigation after...
Amnesty says Morocco used NSO’s Pegasus software to spy on journalist Omar Radi
Jerusalem, June 22, 2020 - Amnesty International said Monday that software developed by Israeli security firm NSO Group was used to attack a Moroccan journalist, the latest in a series of allegations against the company. The Israeli firm told AFP that it was "deeply...
Morocco braces for more Covid-19 infections with new hotspot in Kenitra
Moulay Bousselham, Morocco, June 21, 2020 - A new field hospital in eastern Morocco will from Sunday receive around 700 COVID-19 patients following a sharp spike in infections in the kingdom, the government said. Morocco reported a record single-day rise in novel...
As Morocco prepares to relax restrictions, virus cases spike
Rabat, June 19, 2020 - Morocco reported on Friday its highest number of confirmed novel coronavirus infections in a single day since recording its first case in March, according to the health ministry. Over 450 of the infections were recorded in the western...
Morocco: 100 migrants rescued by Moroccan navy off the coast of Nador
Morocco's navy "rescued" nearly 100 migrants from several boats in the Mediterranean, the country's official MAP news agency reported Thursday. The navy "rescued, in the night of Wednesday to Thursday, 93 sub-Saharan African migrants who were on board makeshift...
Morocco Covid-19 Charts and Data
Below are three interactive charts depicting the evolution of Covid-19 in Morocco. Please feel free to change the display conditions. Death toll from Covid-19 in Morocco: Evolution of infections in Morocco: Evolution of testing in Morocco:
Consul of Morocco in Algerian city of Oran leaves Algeria after row over “enemy country” statement
Algiers, June 9, 2020 - A Moroccan diplomat at the centre of a diplomatic spat between Algiers and Rabat has left Algeria at the country's request, a spokesman for the presidency said on Tuesday. "The consul of Morocco has left the country at Algeria's request,"...
Opinion: Morocco and Algeria wasting their money on useless military hardware
Transcript: Opinion by Arezki Daoud: 4 June 2020: Just like Algeria has been doing, Morocco is spending the money it does not have to procure more military equipment it will never use and without major security logic. The country is facing a collapsed economy due to...
Morocco: Former Premier El-Youssoufi dies at 96
Former Moroccan Prime Minister Abderrahmane El-Youssoufi, well known for his pro-Maghreb political views, died on 29 May in Casablanca of an illness. Born in Tangier on March 8, 1924, Abderrahmane El-Youssoufi was one of the craftsmen of the conference in Tangier...
Will Covid-19 mark the end of kissing and hugging in the Mediterranean?
May 28, 2020 (By Isabelle Ligner and Isabelle Wesselingh, photo: Anastasia Vityukova) - To greet friends and acquaintances by kissing, hugging and shaking hands is considered part of the essence of Mediterranean identity. But the coronavirus pandemic has put an abrupt...
Maghreb: Conservatives control the court systems, religion dominates over civil liberties
(Photo: rally in Tunis in support of Emna Charki) - Rabat, May 27, 2020 - A Moroccan movie star has been prosecuted over "blasphemous" remarks against Islam, a court official said, while Amnesty International called Wednesday for similar charges to be dropped against...
Moroccan authorities attack more journalists of Akhbar Al-Yaum
Rabat, May 25, 2020 - A Moroccan judge on Monday placed the head of an independent daily newspaper in pre-trial detention for suspected sexual assault, his lawyer said. Soulaimane Raissouni, 48, editor of Akhbar Al-Yaum, was arrested on Friday after allegations...
How the image of the United Arab Emirates in the Maghreb is taking a beating ($)
The United Arab Emirates has made no effort to fix its image abroad, as its involvement in crisis regions has been cemented by the UAE's leaders need to project some kind of strength in the Middle East and Africa. In North Africa's Maghreb region, the UAE's image has...
Morocco: A population under stress, tired of confinement
Rabat, May 20, 2020 - Almost half of Moroccans are "anxious" under the mandatory lockdown enforced in mid-March to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, an official survey published Wednesday found. "Being confined and the health threat of COVID-19 are likely to have a major...
Morocco: The hardship of foreign migrants in Morocco
By Hamza Mekouaz - Deprived of work and access to aid, thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa living in Morocco are struggling to make ends meet under COVID-19 restrictions. "The misery is across the board," said Ousmane Ba, head of the Collective of...
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