Spanish police bust «Mocro Mafia» leader in major raid

Spanish authorities announced the arrest, Thursday, of a key figure in the notorious «Mocro Mafia» criminal organization. The Moroccan national, believed to be Karim Bouyakhrichan, allegedly headed a large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering network operating in southern Spain. «We've nabbed the Mocro Mafia's leader, a high-priority target for both Dutch and Spanish authorities», declared Fernando Alonso, head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Unit, at a

Sahara : After football, Algeria launches the Polisario theater

Following the May 2023 creation of a Polisario football team, Algeria further bolstered its support by launching the Polisario theater on Saturday, January 27th. A troupe from the Tindouf camps staged «El khatwa el akhira» (The Last Step) in Algiers, funded through a March 2023 agreement between the Algerian Ministry of Culture and the Polisario. Algerian artists also trained the Sahrawi actors. The play travels next to the Tindouf camps for the 48th anniversary of the creation of

CAF Appeal overturns Morocco coach Walid Regragui's suspension and fine

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeal Jury overturned the four-match (two suspended) suspension and $5,000 fine imposed on Moroccan national coach Walid Regragui on Friday, January 26th. In a press release, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) confirmed the decision, stating it followed the review of their defense arguments. The initial sanction stemmed from a verbal altercation between Regragui and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) captain Chancel Mbemba after the

Algeria expresses «deep regret» after Mali ends 2015 peace accord

Algeria voiced its «deep concern and deep regret» following Mali's decision to scrap the 2015 peace agreement, known as the Algiers Agreement. In a press release, issued Friday, the Algerian Foreign ministry emphasized the potential dangers of this move, not just for Mali itself but for regional stability and the international community invested in the country's reconciliation process. Addressing «the brotherly people of Mali», the Ministry acknowledged Algeria's

Major shipping lines revamp Algeria services after transshipment ban on Moroccan ports

Leading maritime charter companies, complying with Algeria's ban on transshipment in Moroccan ports for goods destined for Algeria, are reorganizing their services. In a press release, French giant CMA-CGM announced the immediate rerouting of all goods bound for Oran, Mostaganem, and Ghazaouet (Algeria). These shipments will now transit via Algeciras or Valencia in Spain, instead of Tangier, Morocco. Maersk, the Danish shipping giant, has chosen to directly reach Algiers, Skikda, and Bejaia

Morocco partners with Spanish and Portuguese travel associations to boost tourism

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 ends peace agreement brokered by Algeria

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.

Morocco-Mauritania parliamentary friendship group established

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 calls for the suspension of the Morocco-EU agricultural deal

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

Spain’s most wanted fugitive, Moroccan hitman El Pastilla, arrested in Germany

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.