FOCUS ON
MOROCCO
Click here to sign up for free weekly email
Email recaps are sent every Thursdays.
Sign up today
Several Muslim countries close mosques, conservatives push back
Several Muslim countries have decided to close their mosques and ban collective prayers to protect their populations from COVID-19. Tunisia issued the mandatory suspension of prayers on 15 March as it closed cafes and banned all cultural, sporting and economic...
Authorities seek to appease population on food supply amid virus containment phase
Just as in many countries, North Africans have been flocking to their neighborhood markets, increasing their shopping in anticipation of a long Covid-19 confinement period. So far, the governments have not been so effecting in communicating their approach. There is...
Morocco-March 16: Morocco shuts down public places
Morocco-16 March: Government Minister tested positive for Covid-19
European tourists find their way back home after getting stranded in Morocco
Rabat, March 15, 2020 - Several special flights departed Morocco Sunday taking thousands of stranded Europeans home as the kingdom announced it was suspending all regular air traffic due to the coronavirus, authorities and airports said. The situation at Marrakesh...
Morocco: Tourism in the time of Covid-19
Fnideq, Morocco, March 14, 2020 - Tourists were stranded in Morocco on Saturday after the kingdom announced strict border restrictions in response to the coronavirus, leaving travellers stuck at borders, ports and airports. "We are lost!" said David, an Italian...
Morocco suspends major travel links
MEA Risk Brief: In a drastic move aimed at halting the spread of the coronavirus, Morocco announced the suspension of air and sea travel to and from France. Morocco already has seven confirmed cases of COVID-19, and one patient has already died. The Kingdom has...
North Africa coronavirus: 12 March 2020 update
Listen to the audio podcast above By Arezki Daoud: It is not total panic mode yet, but there is a feeling that the situation is bubbling up a bit more every day and could get out of control. Most of the pressure that has been building can be attributed to the hype...
Morocco: First coronavirus death in Casablanca
Rabat, March 10, 2020 - Morocco's health ministry said Tuesday the country had recorded its first death linked to the new coronavirus, an 89-year-old woman who suffered from chronic health problems. The woman, a Moroccan citizen who had been living in Italy, "suffered...
Morocco confirms first coronavirus case from Moroccan national residing in northern Italy
On Monday, 2 March, Morocco confirmed its coronavirus case. Health authorities said the patient is a Moroccan national who resides in Italy but went home to Morocco where he tested positive for Covid-19. The 39-year-old man arriving at Mohammed V airport in Casablanca...
Moroccans rally for democracy and better living conditions
Tens of thousands of Moroccans took to the streets of Casablanca on Sunday, 23 February 2020, to renew their demand for democracy, dignity and economic equality. Protesters also carried placard and photos of pro-democracy militants who are currently in prison to...
North Africa confronting tough climate change
Skoura, Morocco, Feb 14, 2020 (By Ismail Bellaouali) - Dead palm trees lie on dry, yellowish earth near an abandoned adobe house in Morocco's arid southeast, as drought threatens ancient oases. "I grew up in this oasis and I have seen it shrink," says 53-year-old...
Morocco: Tough times for migrants in Morocco
Fnideq, Morocco, Feb 7, 2020 (Hamza Mekouar) - Mustapha left his home in Guinea two years ago to make the arduous journey to Morocco, hoping to cross the fence separating the kingdom from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. "We're going to cross this barrier," he told AFP,...
Morocco: Rights groups urge Morocco to free people jailed for their political opinion
Rabat, Feb 5, 2020 - Human rights groups called Wednesday for the release of at least 10 Moroccan citizens arrested and prosecuted over the past five months who "did nothing but peacefully express critical opinions". Those arrested include students, artists, citizen...
Maghreb rulers feeling a bit generous this week
At least two rulers in North Africa felt a bit generous this week. In Morocco, King Mohammed issued an order to free 201 people from prison. They are all nationals of Sub-Saharan nations whose crime was to immigrate outside of their troubled countries and show up in...
With oppression and no free speech, North Africans turn to football stadiums for politics
By Hamza Mekouar - From Casablanca to Algiers via Tunis, the chants belted out across football stadiums echo young North African fans' frustrations not connected to the highs and lows of the beautiful game. Chants of "F'bladi delmouni!" ("Oppressed in my country!") at...
Immigration: Spain faces spike in migrant arrivals
Madrid, Feb 4, 2020 - The number of migrants reaching the Canaries soared last month to 18 times the level of a year ago, Spanish government figures showed on Tuesday. The spike has raised fears of a resurgence of migrant traffic to the Atlantic islands, a route taken...
Morocco: Don’t steal the king’s watches, you’ll go to jail for 15 years
Rabat, Jan 25, 2020 - A Moroccan court has sentenced a cleaner to 15 years in prison for the theft of dozens of luxury watches belonging to King Mohammed VI, her lawyer said. The 46-year-old woman worked in a royal household and the judgement was handed down overnight...
Morocco: Rights group accuses Morocco of holding Belgian-Moroccan in inhuman conditions
Rabat, Jan 17, 2020 - Human Rights Watch on Friday accused Morocco of holding a dual Belgian-Moroccan citizen in "inhuman" and "abusive solitary detention" for more than three years following his 2009 life sentence on terrorism charges. Abdelkader Belliraj was the...
Moroccan regime confirms its zero tolerance to free speech
Rabat, Dec 26, 2019 - A Moroccan YouTuber (see photo) was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison for "insulting the king" in a video broadcast on social networks, his lawyer said. In a separate case, a Moroccan journalist and activist was charged and detained over...
Connect
You can find us on a few social media platforms. Feel free to connect with us there.