A candidate who wanted to solve the Sahara issue couldn’t make it to Mauritania’s elections list

Six candidates will be running for presidential elections in Mauritania on June 22nd, as announced Wednesday. The list includes General Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, from the Union for the Republic, Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar and Biram Dah Abeid, from the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement. Surprisingly, the name of Ahmed Ould Iyahi, the leader of the Mauritanian party People Progressive Alliance (APP), was not featured in the list that includes candidates running for

Human Rights Watch denounces the arrest and trial of a Sahrawi woman

New York-based NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) slammed the Moroccan authorities, Thursday in a statement, for «using a law designed to keep people from falsely claiming professional credentials to bring criminal charges against people trying to expose abuses». HRW referred to the case of Sahrawi woman Nezha Khalidi who was arrested in December, 2018, for livestreaming on Facebook a street scene in Laayoune and denouncing «repression». Khalidi, who is affiliated

Turkey holds a large group of irregular migrants that included Moroccans

Moroccans were among 636 irregular migrants held by the Turkish authorities, Wednesday, across the country, Turkish security sources told Anadolu Agency. A group of 565 migrants was held near the Turkish-Greek border, a source told the press agency. These migrants were mainly from Morocco, Palestine, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria. A minibus which crashed in Edrine, in the northwest of Turkey, was carrying 16 migrants both Morocco and Algeria. 11 of these migrants were injured in

Algeria expels a Moroccan journalist after being interrogated for hours

On Wednesday, the Algerian authorities expelled a Moroccan journalist who works for American Arabic-language channel Al Hurra to the United States. Abdellah Imassi was immediately arrested, upon arrival in Algiers’ Houari Boumediene airport. After spending hours in an interrogation room, he was deported by the Algerian authorities to the United States. #Algérie Après un interrogatoire de plus de 6 heures , le journaliste marocain Abdellah #Imassi, resident à

Austria to ban Muslim girls from wearing a headscarf in primary schools

Austrian MPs passed, Wednesday, a law that bans Muslim girls from wearing a headscarf in primary schools, AFP reports. The bill was initially supported by the country’s center-right People’s Party (OVP) and far-right Freedom Party (FPO), and rejected by teh opposition.  Although the newly passed bill indicates that the ban has to do with «ideologically or religiously influenced clothing which is associated with the covering of the head», it is targeted at the

Hirak activist Nawal Benaissa seeks asylum in the Netherlands

Hirak female figure Nawal Benaissa has applied for asylum in the Netherlands, she told the Spanish news agency EFE on Wednesday. Benaissa explained that she is seeking asylum because «she could be sent to prison at any time» if she stays in the Kingdom. The activist said that authorities are trying to «restraint [her] freedom». In April, Moroccan police prevented Benaissa from leaving the country as she was preparing to travel to the Netherlands to attend a social

Ceuta : Vox wants to turn an old prison into a reception center for unaccompanied minors

Spanish far-right party Vox has proposed to restore a former Ceuta prison, which has been closed for more than a year, and turn it into a reception center for unaccompanied minors, Europa Press reported. These minors will be sent to this facility, during the period «when the necessary procedures are being implemented for their expulsion to Morocco», said the party in its local elections campaign. Vox said that it would «urge the Spanish government to put pressure on Morocco

History : When Moroccan singer Samira Said was Eurovision’s first African entrant

In 1980, Moroccan singer Samira Bensaid participated to Eurovision Song Contest, singing about peace. Morocco finished in 18th place in the competition. In its 2019 edition, Eurovision will see the participation of Bilal Hassani, a French entrant of Moroccan descent.

Air Arabia to link Tangier to Istanbul in July

At the request of its customers, Moroccan low-cost airline Air Arabia Maroc announced, Wednesday, that it is creating a new seasonal line, linking Tangier to Istanbul. In a communiqué sent to Yabiladi, Air Arabia Maroc said that this seasonal line will start operating on the 4th of July, 2019. «Air Arabia Maroc will offer 11 destinations from Tangier», said the airline that has already been operating flights from Casablanca to Istanbul since 2009. The new Tangier-Istanbul

Israel’s allies go back on their words, one year after the US relocated its embassy

One year after the United States moved its embassy to Jerusalem, Guatemala was the only country to follow the steps of the Trump administration. While Paraguay and Brazil changed their decisions, many countries neglected the idea of relocating their embassies to the holy city.