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Moroccan King fires junior ministers: leadership or scapegoating?
The North Africa Journal - November 3, 2017 - [Photo: State auditor Driss Jettou making case against ministers before Moroccan King, leading to dismissals] In a surprise move, King Mohammed VI dismissed some junior ministers and other officials, allegedly as a...
Algeria-Morocco: Algeria’s top diplomat starts new feud with Morocco
The North Africa Journal - November 3, 2017 - Algeria’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel has shown very little diplomatic skills, when he recently accused Morocco of laundering "hashish" money during a debate held at the summer workshop of the...
Morocco: King seeks to deflate criticism over the unrest in the north, blaming everyone but the monarchy
The North Africa Journal- August 10, 2017: After an easing of tension at the end of July, facilitated by the withdrawal of the riot police from al-Hoceima and Imzouren and a royal pardon that benefited some 40 jailed protesters, social unrest resumed with the first...
North Africans boost security measures to prevent cheating in baccalaureate exam
The North Africa Journal: June 9, 2017: If you ask any high school student in the Maghreb to list their biggest concerns, the baccalaureate exam (currently underway) is likely going to be rated very high, if not as the number one source of stress. The baccalaureate...
Morocco risk outlook: difficult path to reconciliation in el-Hoceima, but it is not too late
The North Africa Journal: June 9, 2017: In a note to its clients, MEA Risk predicts that the Moroccan government is likely to find a reasonable way out of the crisis, in an effort to avoid the sort of outburst witnessed recently in Tunisia’s Tataouine Province....
Morocco: Massive show of force as authorities confront public anger in Hoceima
The North Africa Journal - May 30, 2017: There have been intense clashes between demonstrators and the Moroccan security forces in the northern city of al-Hoceima over the weekend and into early this week. Tension escalated after the police arrested nearly two dozen...
Morocco: Three IS suspects captured
The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) has dismantled an Islamic State-tied terror cell active in Nador, Driouch and Martil on 26 May. Three suspects were captured on charges of manufacturing homemade bombs and contacting IS operatives in the Middle-East.
Explosive social unrest across the Maghreb region
The North Africa Journal - May 24, 2017 - The Maghreb countries of North Africa are facing an unprecedented level of social and labor unrest. The Ramadan season, slated to start at the end of this month, will likely be quiet on the social front. But what we see in...
As tension eases in Western Sahara conflict, the belligerents stick to their guns
The North Africa Journal - May 4, 2017: Fighters of the Polisario Front, who are seeking statehood in the Western Sahara, withdrew from a contested area known as Guerguerat, following a unilateral withdrawal of the Moroccan troops a few weeks ago. The removal of armed...
Despite economic hardship, defense spending in North Africa & Sahel on the rise
The North Africa Journal | April 27, 2017: Despite severe economic performances affecting the countries’ revenues, North Africa, including the Sahel, witnessed an increase in military expenditure in 2016, growing 2.2% to US$ 21.264 billion versus 2015. The...
Nine Moroccan terror suspects caught in Italy and Spain
The North Africa Journal: April 26, 2017: The Italian Special Operations Group (ROS) arrested a Moroccan national described as “extremely dangerous” who was plotting to carry out terrorist attacks in the country on 24 April. The 29-year old Moroccan was arrested...
Morocco: New Prime Minister likely to reduce PJD Islamist party role in government
The North Africa Journal - March 20, 2017 - After firing Abdelilah Benkirane, King Mohammed VI asked the PJD’s number two, Saadeddine El-Othmani to form a new government. Benkirane failed to do so (or was forced to fail) leaving Morocco without a cabinet for several...
Morocco: King Mohammed VI fires Prime Minister Benkirane
The North Africa Journal - March 15, 2017 - The Moroccan King, Mohamed VI has reportedly sacked Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane and is preparing to appoint a replacement from within Benkirane's party, the moderate Islamist PJD. The firing of Benkirane is the result...
Morocco: Opposition MP assassinated in Casablanca
The opposition party MP Abdellatif Merdas was shot dead on 7 March 2017 outside his home, located in Casablanca's California neighborhood. A suspect who had allegedly threatened the victim after a personal dispute was apprehended by the general directorate of national...
Tunisia and Morocco looking for Africa markets for business and politics
The North Africa Journal: March 7, 2017- Two North African countries, Morocco and Tunisia, have been seeking membership into two regional economic groups in an effort to expand business opportunities and make fresh diplomatic gains. One of them has been accepted, the...
New activity on the Western Sahara conflict, but no one knows where this is headed
The North Africa Journal - March 6, 2017 - The UN envoy to the Western Sahara Christopher Ross has handed over his resignation to the new UN chief Antonio Guterres. The news came days after Moroccan troops made a symbolic retreat from the contested area of...
Morocco top producer of cannabis, becoming transit route for South American cocaine
The North Africa Journal - March 6, 2017 - Morocco produces a lot of cannabis and that’s a huge part of the country’s economy, feeding tens of thousands of farmers in the northern provinces. Although the drug is illicit, it pales in comparison to the deadly impact of...
Morocco: Hostage situation thwarted in Ain Sebaa
According to a security source, a man tried to hold employees of a company based in Casablanca's Ain Sebaa district hostage, and threatened to "blow himself up". The authorities intervened, negotiated with the assailant and eventually arrested him. The suspect is said...
UN, Morocco and the Polisario: a symbolic withdrawal
The North Africa Journal: February 27, 2017: Morocco is to withdraw some troops from Guerguerat, in the contested Western Sahara region. The move is a bid to deescalate tension after Moroccan soldiers breached into the buffer zone established by the UN to keep Morocco...
Labor Unions: Localized and segmented unions in North Africa seek better coordination
The North Africa Journal - Feb 21, 2017: Labor protests have been a major source of the heightened level of social unrest across the region. This past week saw its share of trade union unrest, largely driven by a labor sector that has regulations largely seen as...
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