On Saturday, May 11th, the French authorities banned Sahrawis from holding a rally in the town of Bressuire, in the Deux-Sèvres department, to commemorate the «51st anniversary of the creation of the Polisario Front», reports Ouest-France. The decision was motivated by security considerations. The police prefecture feared clashes between Polisario supporters and Moroccans, who were planning to hold a counter-demonstration on the same day. Bressuire had already hosted
The Catalans are back to the ballot boxes on Sunday, May 12, to elect a new parliament. Opinion polls indicate that the regional Socialist Party is set to win, led by former Health Minister Salvador Ia. The socialists are followed by two independent groups: the Republican Left and Junts ('Together'). The elections are also important for the Spanish-Moroccan community residing in Catalonia. Moroccan left-wing party Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) has called on them to
After ten years of experience in France, Ilyas Elkadaoui decided to move to Morocco and invest in his home country, setting up a water filtration company and investing in luxury real estate in Marrakech.
Belgian authorities are investigating «potential Moroccan interference in the country's upcoming elections», RTBF reported on May 10th. This investigation follows RTBF's December exposé on Belgian officials advocating for the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara. The Central Office for the Repression of Corruption (OCRC) initially reviewed RTBF's findings and submitted a report in late December. After discussions between prosecutors, the Brussels public prosecutor's
The UN General Assembly overwhelmingly endorsed a resolution on May 10th, urging the Security Council to reconsider Palestine's membership bid. The Morocco-backed text passed with 143 votes in favor, 9 against (including the US and Israel), and 25 abstentions. This vote is symbolic, as the Security Council holds veto power. In April, the US vetoed a similar proposal from Algeria in the Security Council. Palestine, a UN observer member since 2011, lacks full voting rights and cannot hold
The Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) Appeals Chamber dismissed, on May 10th, a new complaint filed by the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) and Union Sportive de la Médina d'Alger (USMA). This May 8th complaint challenged the April 30th decision by the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) Appeals Committee, which awarded Renaissance Sportive de Berkane (RSB) victories in both legs of their CAF Cup semi-final against USMA. This rejection comes after CAS dismissed another FAF
On the sidelines of the Kenya Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit on May 9th, OCP Africa signed a significant cooperation agreement with Sierra Leone. «OCP Africa is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security of Sierra Leone, aiming for a just agricultural transition putting soils and farmers at its core!», OCP Africa said Friday on X. The partnership is meant to «implement a range of initiatives, including last-mile
The U.S. State Department's anti-trafficking office awarded a $2.5 million grant to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), along with implementing partners the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Labor Organization (ILO). The grant aims to strengthen «detection, identification, protection, return, and reintegration of victims of trafficking in persons» in Morocco. The U.S. Embassy in Morocco announced the grant on Friday at a
ETAFAT, a Moroccan company specializing in engineering and geospatial data, announced the commencement of topographical surveys for the northern section of the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project. This surveying phase will cover areas within Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal. The project's initiation follows a meeting in Rabat between ETAFAT, Morocco's National Office of Hydrocarbons and Minerals (ONHYM), and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC). Previously, N-Sea, a Dutch subsea
Moroccan football club Wydad Casablanca commemorated its 87th anniversary on May 8th by unveiling a new jersey design on Facebook. The jersey features the full map of Morocco, along with the club's founding year and establishment date. This kit is expected to be worn for both domestic league matches and international competitions during the upcoming season. This announcement comes after Algerian authorities refused to allow the Renaissance Sportive de Berkane club to play the semi-final of