On the sidelines of the Fitur tourism exhibition in Madrid, the Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT) inked two major partnerships. They signed agreements with the Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies (CEAV) and the Portuguese Association of Travel and Travel Agencies (APAVT). These agreements aim to make 2024 «the year of Morocco» for both institutions, with an annual action plan targeting over 5,000 members each across Spain and Portugal. According to an ONMT press
Mali, fresh from disentangling itself from France, aims to fully extricate itself from Algerian oversight. The Bamako government declared the 2015 Algiers peace agreement defunct.
The Mauritanian Parliament hosted the launch of the new Morocco-Mauritania parliamentary friendship group on Thursday, January 25th, reports Mauritanian news agency AMI. In the absence of National Assembly President retired General Mohamed Ould Meguett, his deputy Moussa Demba Sow, from the INSAF (presidential) party, attended the ceremony alongside Culture Minister Ahmed Sayed Ahmed Agg, Moroccan Ambassador to Nouakchott Hamid Chabar, and other dignitaries. This launch comes two days after
In Spain, Vox is mobilizing its sections in a new campaign against Morocco. The group of deputies from the far-right party in the Parliament of the Autonomous Region of Valencia has called on the Sanchez government, in a proposal, to «request the immediate suspension of the agricultural agreement between Morocco and the European Union, due to the enormous economic losses that the said agreement causes to the production and the Spanish and Valencian agri-food industry». This
After almost a month of escaping his prison cell in Spain, Moroccan Yousef Mohamed Lehrech, known as El Pastilla, was arrested in Leipzig, Germany, Spanish police say.
Moroccan authorities expelled Portuguese photojournalist Rafael Lomba from Laayoune on January 17, following his arrival in the city earlier that day. Prior to his time in Laayoune, Lomba had spent several days in Dakhla as a guest of a local association. While in Laayoune, Lomba reportedly met with Ahmed Dadech, the president of a pro-Polisario organization known as the «Committee to Support Self-Determination for the people of Western Sahara». However, he was subsequently
Lebanese industrial and construction giant Butec has announced the complete acquisition of the Moroccan businesses of Société des Eaux de Marseille (SEM), a subsidiary of Veolia Group. This move, reported by Yahoo Finance on Thursday, involves the repurchase of shares in Eaux de Marseille - Maroc (EMM). This acquisition aligns with Butec's ambitious growth strategy in Africa and the Middle East. It follows their recent acquisition of ENGIE Group's «Energy Services»
Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its annual report for 2024, raising concerns about alleged ongoing restrictions on freedom of expression and association in Morocco. The report mentions imprisonment of journalists and protest leaders, allegedly as «retaliation» for their criticism of the monarchy.
With the pending opening of a consulate in Dakhla or Laayoune, Saudi Arabia has banned the publication of maps of Morocco without the Sahara and the use of «Western Sahara» in official correspondence. Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman issued this directive to university presidents, as confirmed by an official document from the Saudi royal cabinet. This move marks a renewed commitment to Saudi Arabia's longstanding support for Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara,
Authorities in Casablanca have ordered the closure of car wash shops and public baths three days a week to rationalize potable water consumption.