Morocco expels two Norwegians from Laayoune  (Read more...)

Mohamed El Bachiri wins the 2017 Equality Prize

The book A jihad of love by Belgian-Moroccan author Mohamed El Bachiri has just won the 2017 Equality Prize, reports literature website En Lettres. The award was received during the fifth edition of the 2017 Equality Festival, held in Gand, Belgium, from the 14th to the 16th of December. Living in the Molenbeek district, Mohamed El Bachiri had lost his wife Loubna Lafquiri, a mother of three children, during the Brussels attacks on March 22nd, 2016. The Zaventem airport and a subway train at

The Real Madrid channel publishes a long documentary dedicated to Achraf Hakimi

The official Real Madrid channel has recently published a documentary about the Moroccan-Spanish football player Achraf Hakimi. For one hour, the program «Campo de Estrellas» («The field of stars») shed light on the journey of the Madrid native player, speaking about his childhood and his first experiences in the field. In the documentary Hakimi’s parents, siblings, childhood friends, coaches and teammates were there to talk about him. «I had been dreaming

Norway adopts a program to support voluntary return and reintegration

In Norway, some Moroccan migrants choose to return to their country of origin. However, they are forced to abandon their decision because of the lack of financial resources. But this situation will change, with the signing on Wednesday of an agreement between the International Organization for Migration in Morocco (IOM) and the Norwegian Embassy, states the IOM in a statement. The initiative is part of the program of assistance for voluntary return and reintegration (AVRR) launched by IOM in

Morocco’s admission to ECOWAS is postponed

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa is not giving Morocco an answer on its admission bid in its upcoming summit scheduled for the 16th of December in Abuja, Nigeria, an authorized source from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation told Yabiladi on Friday. In fact, the Pan-African organization has decided to postpone deciding on Morocco’s application, the same source explained.

Moroccans detained in Libya: The government is to launch a third repatriation operation

What is the estimated number of the Moroccan migrants detained in Libya? This question has left the Minister of Relations with Parliament, spokesman for the government silent during a press briefing organized on Thursday afternoon. Mustapha El Khalfi, on the other hand, announced that the commission in charge of the file is working on the 3rd repatriation operation but without giving more details. Last week, 235 Moroccan migrants returned home on two planes. Previously, 190 had also

Terrorism : 4 people sentenced from one to three years over terror-related charges

The Sale anti-terror court has sentenced on Thursday, 14th of December, four individuals to between one and three years in prison over terror-related charges. The court also sentenced to one year in prison and fined two other defendants for praising terrorist attacks. Moreover, it has decided to postpone until January the 4th the examination of the case of eight people, including three women, prosecuted over terror links. These eight defendants are accused of «forming a gang as part of

Catalonia attacks : The Abouyaacoub brothers buried in Mrirt

The two young men who took part of the cell that carried the Catalonia attacks in August were secretly buried on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday in their hometown, located in central Morocco. Younes Abouyaaqoub, along with his brother Houssaine Abouyaaqoub, were both shot dead in August, reports EFE news agency.  The parents of the brothers asked that the bodies of their two children should be buried in Morocco and not in Spain. A request to which the Spanish judicial authorities

Reporters Without Borders call for the release of Ali Anouzla

Reporters Without Borders (RSF), an international NGO that promotes and defends freedom of information and press, released on Thursday, 14th of December, a communiqué calling for the release of Ali Anouzla, a journalist whose trial was postponed today. The organizarion also urged the Moroccan judicial authorities to «drop the serious terrorism charges» that are still pending since 2013. «The Moroccan judicial system's conspiracy against Ali Anouzla must

King Mohammed VI is not attending the upcoming ECOWAS summit

King Mohammed VI’s visit to the Nigerian capital, Abuja, has been canceled. Scheduled to the 16th of December, the sovereign is not participating to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), reports Ilaf, a London-based online newspaper. Quoting a diplomatic source, the same source stressed that the king is going instead on a working trip to Guinea Conakry next Monday. The summit was scheduled to be held in the Togolese capital of Lomé in the same period, but the

USA : Scott Pruitt’s work trip to Morocco sparks questions about his expenses

Scott Pruitt, an American Republican politician who is currently serving as the fourteenth Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has just returned from a four-day trip to Morocco, reportes the Associated Press. During his trip to the kingdom, the official held talks with his Moroccan couterparts trying to promote the importing of natural gas.  Arrived in the United States of America on Wednesday, 13th of December, Pruitt stated that the trip «allowed us to

Atlantic Currents 2017 outlines the new challenges for Atlantic Africa

The 4th edition of the Atlantic Currents annual report was published today. It was presented during the opening ceremony of the 6th edition of the Atlantic Dialogues conference, organized in Marrakesh by the think-tank OCP Policy Center which also publishes the report. In 176 pages, this document focuses on the  contemporary issues that block development in Africa. It is «to promote a new geopolitical construction of this region,» said a statement issued by the

Two killed and three people injured crashed by a wall that collapsed in Casablanca

At least two were killed and three people were injured after a wall collapsed in Mohammed El Khamili avenue, Casablanca, on Wednesday 13th of December, confirmed a communiqué sent to Yabiladi by the local authorities.  Two people who died were sitting inside their cars parked near the wall. The two injured were transferred to the Mohammed V hospital right away while firefighters worked on pulling the victims stuck inside their cars, a source on site told

Belgium : A station for coaches heading to Morocco is planned in Brussels

An average of fifty buses travel to Morocco from Brussels during the peak season. The absence of a large bus station often leads bus drivers to park in Stalingrad Avenue or in the surrounding streets. Nevertheless, car traffic in these streets is blocked, reports the Belgian regional newspaper LaCapitale, quoted by the Dutch-language media house Bruzz. Minister of Mobility and Public Works of the Brussels Capital Region, Pascal Smet, came up with a solution. Pascal Smet, in

An old bomb found in one of Casablanca’s neighborhoods [Video]

From 2 to around 10 pm, the neighborhood of Sidi Othman in Casablanca on Tuesday has been in a state of high alert. Indeed, the police have been warned about the presence of suspicious objects. Security forces quickly intervened, finding a large bag with heavy materials inside. For that sake, residents were evacuated and a demining team was put on site. They have precisely identified the finding as a bomb. Quoted by Kifach, a local online newspaper, an adequate source ensured that the bomb

Saudi Arabia’s Dar Al-Arkan plans to invest in Morocco

Dar Al-Arkan Real Estate (DAAR), a Saudi Arabian property development company and one of the largest developers by market value in the Asian country, is considering investing in Morocco ; its president Youssef al-Shelash told the British news agency. Headquartered in Riyadh and founded in 1994 by six families operating in the business community, the company is aimed at meeting the increased housing demand of the Saudi population. The real estate firm has a portofolio of 800 million dollars,

Hirak : 18 Riffian activists held in preventive detention 

The Moroccan police held 18 Riffian activists in preventive detention on Tuesday, 12th of December, including 12 minors, for allegedly committing acts of public disorder last night in the city of Imzouren, reports EFE news agency. Rioting broke out after the police intervened to disperse a social protest in the Ait Moussa Omar district, a security source told the news agency. The police operation resulted in the arrest of 33 people, 15 of whom were released later, said the source. For

One Planet Summit : King Mohammed VI takes part in lunch hosted by the French President

King Mohammed VI, accompanied by the Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, took part on Tuesday, 12th of December, in the lunch hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in honor of the heads of State and delegations attending the «One Planet Summit», held in Paris. On his arrival at the Elysee Palace, the sovereign reviewed a detachment of the Republican Guard that paid the honors before being greeted by the French President, reports MAP news agency. The king was also greeted by UN

African Entrepreneurship Award honors 12 winners from 9 African countries

Twelve entrepreneurs from 9 African countries will share a $1 million award to launch and scale their business ideas with the help of the African Entrepreneurship Award, a competition powered by BMCE Bank of Africa.  The first prize ($ 100,000) was for Louise Williamson (South Africa), who founded Sustainability Professionals to solve cooking needs for rural schools and communities. Allen Kimambo from Tanzania received the second prize for creating Zaidi General