Maghreb Edition
The North Africa Journal – November 19, 2017: At least 15 people died when they were crushed during a stampede in Essaouira, Morocco. The victims were receiving food aid in the town of Sidi Boulaalam, near the Atlantic Ocean to the west of the country.
The death toll and the number of wounded remain sketchy, but several media outlets reported 40 injured. The food aid was organized by private groups, attracting a large number of elderly and women.
Morocco is facing its largest wave of unrest in years, with mass protests erupting across major cities demanding better hospitals, schools, and an end to corruption.
Moroccan pharmacists’ unions are urging regulators and the professional Order to reject proposals that would allow outside investors to hold stakes in pharmacies. They argue the change could weaken professional independence, reshape pharmacies into commercial projects, and pressure smaller operators that support access to medicines nationwide.
New reporting has revived scrutiny of the 2021 Pegasus intrusion targeting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s phone, focusing on the Ceuta visit as a potential operational opening and renewing debate over attribution, accountability, and Spain’s wider relationship with Morocco, including questions raised by Morocco’s growing security ties with Israel.
Morocco’s labor market showed strong job creation in 2025, but the gains were overwhelmingly concentrated in urban areas. While cities absorbed nearly all new employment, rural regions continued to lose jobs, exposing a widening divide that leaves young people, women, and rural workers increasingly disconnected from the recovery.
