Senegal reaffirms support for Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara

Senegal has once again affirmed its unwavering support for Morocco's territorial integrity and sovereignty over its entire national territory, including the Sahara. This stance was articulated in a joint communiqué issued on Monday in Rabat, following the conclusion of the Great Morocco-Senegal Cooperation Commission's meetings, co-chaired by Morocco's Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch, and Senegalese Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko. On this occasion, Senegal reiterated its full

France rejects pro-Polisario MP’s demand on Sahara product labeling

The French government has rejected a request from MP René Pilato of La France insoumise, who had called on Paris to require products from Morocco’s southern provinces to be labeled as originating from «Western Sahara». In a written question, the parliamentarian argued that labeling such products as Moroccan would «mislead consumers and violate European Union legislation». In its response, seen by Yabiladi, the French government reaffirmed that Paris

Tennis Davis Cup returns to Casablanca as Morocco faces Colombia

The Coupe Davis is set to make its long-awaited return to Casablanca after more than two decades, as Morocco faces Colombia on February 7 and 8 in a playoff for promotion to World Group I. The tie will be played at the historic USM Tennis Club, which will host the competition for the first time since 2003, when Morocco famously defeated Great Britain 3–2 in a World Group playoff. Captained by former world top player Hicham Arazi, the Moroccan team will rely on experience and home support

Education Minister refers Pioneer Schools contract irregularities to prosecution

Morocco’s Minister of National Education and Early Childhood Education Mohamed Saad Berrada has referred a case involving irregularities in the so-called «Pioneer Schools» contracts to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, according to Al Akhbar newspaper. The move comes after detailed reports by the General Inspectorate of the Ministry of National Education and the General Inspectorate of Finance uncovered a series of violations in contracts awarded by regional

Philippe Diallo praises Morocco's successful hosting of AFCON despite final's chaos

Philippe Diallo, President of the French Football Federation, stressed that the few chaotic moments that marked the Africa Cup of Nations final should not detract from what he described as an overall successful tournament hosted by Morocco. Speaking to Ouest-France, Diallo said: «Above all, the AFCON was a magnificent tournament, brilliantly organized by Morocco. Unfortunately, a handful of incidents during the final slightly tarnished the occasion, creating a moment of disorder that

Over 80 swimmers brave icy waters of Morocco's Lake Aguelmam Azegza

More than 80 experienced swimmers took on the freezing waters of Lake Aguelmam Azegza this weekend, as part of the 9th edition of Ice Swim in Morocco, an international cold-water swimming competition held in the Khénifra province. Organized by the Moroccan Association Sport et Nature in partnership with the Royal Moroccan Swimming Federation and the Khénifra provincial authorities, the event is Morocco’s first ice-swimming competition. It has been held annually since 2018

Canary Islands and Souss-Massa strengthen ties with ten agreements

The Government of the Canary Islands has signed ten cooperation agreements with Morocco’s Souss-Massa region, along with a memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening institutional cooperation and establishing what has been described as an «Atlantic axis». The agreements span a wide range of fields, including the economy, trade, innovation, higher education, tourism, and sports. The agreements were signed during an official visit by Fernando Clavijo, President of the

Morocco's Aziz Akhannouch holds talks with his Senegalese counterpart

Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch held talks with his Senegalese counterpart Ousmane Sonko, Monday in Rabat, who is on a working visit to Morocco. The visit comes as part of the 15th session of the Morocco–Senegal High Joint Partnership Committee. The meeting was attended by Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Living Abroad, as well as Hassan Naciri, Morocco’s ambassador to Senegal. According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s

Moroccan man arrested for inciting hatred against Sub-Saharan migrants online

A man in his thirties has been placed in pre-trial detention at Ait Melloul prison, on the orders of the competent public prosecutor, in connection with charges of inciting hatred and discrimination against migrants from Sub-Saharan African countries residing in the commune of Lqliâa. The Royal Gendarmerie in Lqliâa arrested the suspect on Saturday night at his home. He was subsequently placed in custody at the Royal Gendarmerie’s judicial center in Inezgane, before being

Body of missing young man found in water basin near Sidi Bennour

After an extensive search spanning several days, authorities recovered the body of a young man on Sunday from a water basin in the Bni Hilal community, a small town in Sidi Bennour Province of the Casablanca-Settat region. The young man had vanished under mysterious circumstances, leading his family to turn to social media with urgent appeals for assistance. Acting on directives from the public prosecutor's office, the body has been sent to the morgue for an autopsy. Concurrently, a judicial

Morocco extends Sound Energy’s Anoual gas exploration permits to 2028

Moroccan authorities have extended the Anoual exploration permits held by British upstream gas company Sound Energy PLC until September 2028, according to a press release on Monday. The extension includes the drilling of the M5 exploration well, targeting Triassic reservoirs, with the option for additional 3D seismic surveys and further drilling. Sound Energy said its financial exposure to the M5 well is capped at roughly $2.5 million. The decision comes as the company reports continued

Moroccan activists protest near Algerian border against Israeli flag raising

The National Working Group for Palestine, alongside the Moroccan Initiative for Support and Advocacy in the Eastern Region, organized a protest near the Algerian border to denounce the raising of an Israeli flag in the Bin Lgraaf area. Dozens of activists waved Palestinian flags and burned Israeli flags, rejecting what they described as a provocation. They chanted slogans in support of the Palestinian people and called for cutting ties with Israel. In a statement, the group described the

Body of young migrant found near Morocco-Ceuta border fence

The Spanish Civil Guard discovered the body of a sub-Saharan African migrant near the border fence separating the city of Ceuta from Morocco on Sunday afternoon. According to Spanish media reports, Civil Guard officers had been alerted to an attempted crossing by a group of migrants trying to climb the border fence and moved to the area to intervene. During the operation, security personnel found the body of a young man in a mountainous zone adjacent to the fence. Preliminary information

Preventive measures stabilize sardine prices in Morocco ahead of Ramadan

Preventive measures have been put in place to stabilize sardine prices at their usual levels, particularly with the approach of Ramadan, said Mohammed Nafia, Maritime Fisheries Delegate of Laâyoune, on Saturday. According to a statement he made to Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP), these measures, adopted by the State Secretariat in charge of maritime fisheries, include a ban on the export of frozen sardines and the implementation of the «Fish at a Reasonable Price» initiative. The

Nezha Bidouane re-elected to International Sport for All Federation Board

Nezha Bidouane, President of the Royal Moroccan Federation of Sport for All (FRMSPT), was re-elected on Saturday in Civitanova, central Italy, as a member of the Board of Directors of the International Sport for All Federation (FISPT) for a second four-year term. Her re-election took place during the federation’s elective congress, held on January 24 and 25. On the same occasion, the President of the FISPT, Issa Mohammed Abderrahim of Bahrain, was renewed as head of the international

Morocco inaugurates its first Olympic-size ice rink with a hockey match

Rabat inaugurated its new ice hockey complex on Saturday during a landmark sporting event marked by a friendly match between the Moroccan national team and its French counterpart. Located in the Yacoub El Mansour district, the facility covers more than 16,000 square meters and includes a modern arena built to international hockey standards. The complex’s centerpiece is Africa’s largest ice rink, spanning 1,738 square meters. It is also the only Olympic-size rink on the continent,

Minurso downsizes staff amid US budget cuts and strategic restructuring

MINURSO continues to scale down its staff. The United Nations mission in Western Sahara has recently terminated the contracts of ten senior international officials, including a general who served as the peacekeeping force’s second-in-command, a source close to the matter told Yabiladi. These departures are primarily part of a cost-cutting drive. The officials concerned were receiving high salaries paid in US dollars. MINURSO is therefore aligning itself with policies promoted under the

Chinese firm Dalian Heavy Industry wins OCP contract for major phosphate project in Morocco

The Chinese group Dalian Heavy Industry Equipment has secured a major contract with the Moroccan Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP) for the development of a phosphate mine in Morocco, valued at nearly 3 billion yuan (around 4 billion dirhams), reports a Chinese media outlet. This contract represents the largest order ever recorded by the group and marks its first engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) project internationally, thus signifying its official entry into the