Category: Morocco

3 Countries Investigate Morocco Attacker Who Killed Tourist

RABAT, Morocco—A Moroccan judge on Thursday ordered a man suspected of fatally stabbing a French woman and injuring a Belgian visitor to undergo psychiatric evaluation, as authorities in three countries opened probes into the suspect’s possible links to terrorism. A 78-year-old French woman was killed in a knife attack in a market in the southern…


Israel, Morocco to Upgrade Relations, Open Embassies, Israeli FM Says

RABAT—Israel and Morocco plan to upgrade their restored diplomatic relations and open embassies within two months, Israel’s foreign minister said during a visit to the North African kingdom on Thursday. Morocco was one of four Arab countries—along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Sudan—to move towards normalizing relations with Israel last year under U.S.-engineered…


Guantanamo Inmate Sent to Home Country in Biden Policy Shift

WASHINGTON—The Biden administration on Monday transferred a Guantánamo Bay detainee to his home country for the first time, a policy shift from the Trump presidency that repatriated a Moroccan man years after he was recommended for discharge. The prisoner, Abdullatif Nasser, who’s in his mid-50s, was cleared for repatriation by a review board in July 2016 but…


Western Sahara Independence Chief Leaves Spain for Algeria

MADRID—The leader of a movement seeking independence from Morocco who is at the center of a diplomatic row between Rabat and Madrid has flown out of Spain to Algeria, his group said. Brahim Ghali was released from a hospital in northern Spain following more than six weeks of treatment after contracting COVID-19, according to a…


Madrid Says Western Sahara Independence Leader Must Answer Legal Case in Spain

MADRID—A Western Sahara independence leader at the centre of a diplomatic dispute between Rabat and Madrid must answer legal charges in Spain before leaving the country, Spain said on Sunday. Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said last month that Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali had arrived in Spain from Algeria for medical treatment. Spain’s…


Spain: Stream of Migrants Stops as Morocco Beefs up Security

CEUTA, Spain—Authorities in Ceuta, the Spanish enclave at the center of a humanitarian crisis and a diplomatic dispute between Morocco and Spain, said Thursday that no migrants crossed overnight into the city after security forces in the neighboring north African kingdom tightened the shared border. Security forces clashed well into the night with dozens of…


Spain, Morocco Square Off After 6,000 Migrants Arrive by Sea

MADRID—Spain faced a humanitarian and diplomatic crisis Tuesday after thousands of Moroccans took advantage of relaxed border controls in their nation to swim or paddle in inflatable boats onto European soil. By Tuesday morning, around 6,000 people had crossed the border into the Spanish city of Ceuta since the first arrivals began early Monday, the…


Spain, Morocco Square Off After 7,000 Migrants Arrive by Sea

MADRID—Spain deployed its military to the Moroccan border on Tuesday as thousands of migrants jumped fences or swam onto European soil for the second day in a row after Rabat loosened border controls amid a deepening diplomatic spat. Overwhelmed soldiers separated the adults from the young and carried children in their arms while Red Cross…


28 Garment Workers Killed in Flooded Factory in Morocco

RABAT, Morocco—Heavy rains flooded an illegal garment factory in the northern Moroccan city of Tangier, killing at least 28 workers Monday, state television quoted a medical official as saying. That raised the death toll from 24, reported earlier by the Moroccan news agency MAP. Local authorities said firefighters and emergency workers rescued 10 people from…


Facts Matter (Jan. 18): New 9,000 Migrant Caravan Headed to US; Clashes With Police

The other day, 9,000 migrants left Honduras in a caravan headed for the United States. However, it looks like they are meeting resistance from police in Guatemala and Mexico. Meanwhile, in recognition of the Trump administration’s peace efforts, the king of Morocco has given President Trump the highest award that he can—”The Order of Muhammad.”…