East Africa : Morocco mends ties with a strong Polisario ally

The Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs met, Tuesday, December 26 in Rabat, with the Senior Presidential Advisor on Middle East Affairs, Mohamed Ahmed Kisuule, who delivered a message to King Mohammed VI from the President of the Republic of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni. The day before, the Foreign Minister received «Rashid Yahya Ssemuddu, who came to present a copy of his credentials as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uganda to HM King Mohammed

Confiscated letters from Spanish women to Moroccan men, a story of forbidden love

They are love letters that, unfortunately, never made it to their destination, Morocco. Filled with love and affection, they were carefully written by Spanish women who were madly in love with Moroccan men in the middle of the Spanish colonization of northern Morocco. Sent between the 1930s and the 1950s, these letters attested to forbidden relationships between Spanish women and Moroccan soldiers deployed to fight alongside Franco’s forces during the Spanish Civil War. The mails were

On third anniversary of the Israel–Morocco normalization agreement, marches replace celebrations

No official celebrations of the three-year anniversary of the signing of the normalization agreement between Morocco and Israel have taken place this year. Instead, thousands have marched in Morocco since the start of the war on Gaza to demand the end of normalization with Israel.

Algerian President reaffirms his country’s support for the Polisario

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune reaffirmed, yesterday in a long speech delivered before both Houses of Parliament, his country's «unwavering support» for the Polisario. The Head of State called the matter a «national cause», the same as that of Palestine. The two matters will be the pillars of Algeria’s foreign policy during its mandate at the UN Security Council, expected to start on January 1, 2024 and last until December 31, 2025. To

Health Minister reassures Moroccans on spread of new COVID-19 variant JN.1

The Moroccan Minister of Health has reassured Moroccans regarding the spread of the new JN.1 coronavirus strain. Khalid Ait Taleb said yesterday during a weekly session at the House of Representatives that the World Health Organization (WHO) had said that «the seriousness of the new variant, the speed of its spread, and even its morbidity rate have not been proven yet». «There is no need to panic», he argued. The minister reminded MPs that his department

Algeria wants to create a free trade zone with Mauritania

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune chaired a council of ministers on Sunday, December 24. The Head of State ordered the Prime Minister, Nadir Larbaoui, to launch an «in-depth study, for the creation of a free trade zone» with Mauritania. The project will help «contribute to the diversification of economic activities and the creation of a dynamic in the region, particularly along the borders between Algeria and Mauritania», reads a press release by the presidency of

The Polisario denounces meeting attended by Morocco and Sahel countries

The Polisario has commented on the meeting organized on December 23 in Marrakech, and attended by Morocco and Sahel countries. «What Morocco is doing in the Sahel is some sort of maneuver intended to deceive some African countries and create more instability and tensions in the region (…) A maneuver which aims to overshadow the successes of the Algerian approach to the Sahel», a senior Polisario member told Algerian media.   «The Atlantic is a region at

Moroccan army drone aborts Polisario attack on Es-Smara

The Royal Armed Forces (FAR) aborted a new Polisario attack, which targeted the town of Es-Smara. «A FAR drone killed at least four agents of the armed militias of the separatist movement while they were preparing, Sunday, December 24, to fire missiles at Es-Smara», a Moroccan source close to the matter told Yabiladi. For the record, on October 28 and November 5, the Polisario fired missiles at civilians in Es-Smara, including a MINURSO observation site. Attacks which left one dead

The four Moroccan men who made it to Queen Victoria’s Souvenir Albums

Hadj Abdullah Lamartz, Kaid Abdelkrim, Hassan Boocheta and a groom called Boojmar were four Moroccans who made it to the Souvenir Albums of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert. The albums are a visual journal of the Queen’s most special moments.

«Algeria is more inclined to quickly find a solution with Morocco», Algerian Foreign Minister says

Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf, said that his country is prone to «quickly find a solution» regarding the tense relations with Morocco. Attaf added, in an interview with Qatari state-owned Arabic-language news television network Al Jazeera, that the idea of the Arab Maghreb Union «cannot be eliminated». Regarding relations with Morocco, he continued, «Algeria is more inclined to rush to find a solution for the situation between the two countries because we