MADRID: Around 2,000 migrants tried to storm the border separating Spain’s Melilla enclave from Morocco on Friday, the first such attempted mass crossing into the territory since the two nations mended diplomatic ties in March. Some 2,000 migrants made their way to the border at dawn and over 500 managed to enter the border control […]
Morocco
Blinken to travel to Israel, West Bank, Morocco, Algeria
Washington: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel, the West Bank, Morocco, and Algeria over March 26-30 to discuss the Ukraine war, Israeli-Palestinian relations, and Iran, the State Department announced Thursday. Blinken will meet separately with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, and while in Morocco […]
Morocco’s navy rescues 368 migrants bound for Spain
The Moroccan navy this week rescued 368 migrants including three children as they were trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Spain, the official MAP news agency said Friday. It said the migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, were rescued between Tuesday and Friday when their makeshift boats, including rubber dinghies and kayaks, ran into difficulty. […]
Algeria recalls Morocco ambassador over Berber comments
Algeria recalled its ambassador in Morocco for consultations on Sunday as a new diplomatic spat broke out between the regional arch-rivals. The move came after Morocco’s envoy to the United Nations, Omar Hilale, expressed support for self-determination for Algeria’s traditionally restless Kabylie region, a stronghold of the country’s Amazigh (Berber) minority. Hilale made the remarks […]
5-year jail term for Morocco journalist sparks condemnation
The sentencing of a Moroccan journalist to five years in prison for indecent assault sparked condemnation Saturday, with media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) deploring a trial “tainted by irregularities”. A Casablanca court on Friday sentenced Soulaimane Raissouni — on hunger strike for more than 90 days — after convicting him of indecent assault against […]
Moroccan journalist gets 5-year jail term for ‘indecent assault’
Detained Moroccan journalist Soulaimane Raissouni was sentenced on Friday to five years in jail for indecent assault against another man. Raissouni, editor-in-chief of now-defunct newspaper Akhbar Al Yaoum, denies the charge and has been on a hunger strike for 93 days. He was not present in court for the sentencing. His supporters say the case […]
US-led war games underway in Morocco near disputed W.Sahara
US-led forces are carrying out war games near the disputed region of Western Sahara, in exercises jointly organised with Morocco and touted by US Africa Command as its largest. More than 7,000 personnel from nine countries and NATO are taking part in the exercises codenamed “African Lion”, which kicked off on June 8, according to […]
Trial for murder of Scandinavian hikers to open in Morocco
Two dozen suspects are set to go on trial in Morocco Thursday for offences linked to the gruesome murder of two young Scandinavian hikers late last year that shocked the North African country. Danish student Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, and 28-year-old Norwegian Maren Ueland had their throats slit before they were beheaded in December at […]
New social deal signed in Morocco, salaries to rise
The Moroccan government on Thursday announced a “new social deal” with employers and the main labor unions, under which many workers will enjoy a pay rise. The deal agreed by the General Confederation of Moroccan Businesses (CGEM) and the three main unions — the UMT, UGTM and UNMT — is the fruit of months of […]
Morocco upholds sentences against Hirak protesters
Dozens of activists linked to the Hirak protest movement that rocked northern Morocco in 2016 and 2017 had prison sentences of up to 20 years upheld by a court of appeal on Friday. The ruling against the 42 protesters in the western city of Casablanca was met with cries of “corrupt state” from relatives. The […]