Morocco has been described as the country “least affected” by terrorism in North Africa and the Sahel with zero attacks reported in 2016 said the annual study dubbed: “Terrorism in North Africa and the Sahel in 2016”, issued by the Inter-University Centre on Terrorism Studies (IUCTS) and the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. “During 2016, […]
Tag: Morocco
Morocco’s Social Contract: ‘Stability through Reform’- the Australian
At a time most of the MENA region countries chose the status quo to tackle the crises rolling out of the Arab Spring, Morocco opted for a social contract that safeguards stability through credible reforms, coupled with measures to uproot extremism, the Australian newspaper highlighted. King Mohammed VI brought a new social contract by choosing […]
Moroccan Lower House Speaker Welcomes UN Secretary General’s Report on Sahara
Speaker of the Lower House of the Moroccan Parliament, Habib El Malki, welcomed the draft report submitted by the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to the Security Council calling for an immediate retreat of the Polisario militias from the buffer strip and warning of the degrading humanitarian conditions prevailing in Tindouf. “Antonio Guterres expressed concerns […]
Polisario Accepts Nomination of Horst Köhler as UN Envoy to Sahara
The Algerian-backed separatist movement, the Polisario, gave its initial agreement on the appointment of former German President Horst Köhler as Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General to the Sahara in place of US diplomat Christopher Ross. Moroccan news website, Le360, reported that an official Polisario source said that the UN Secretary General’s proposal for […]
Morocco Captures Seven Isis Operatives
Moroccan security services announced Wednesday the arrest of seven members of the terrorist organization Isis. The cell was active in the northern city of Fez and nearby town of Moulay Yacoub. Its members were busy working to recruit volunteers for the extremist group. According to Moroccan interior ministry, the police seized bladed weapons, military uniforms, […]
Morocco, Safest Country for Business in North Africa, Control Risks
Control Risks, the specialist risk consultancy, issued its 2017 RiskMap showing that Morocco continues to maintain its standing as the safest country for business and travel in North Africa. Morocco was the only country to be given a low security risk status in Riskmap, the leading guide to political and business risk and an important […]
Algeria Struggles to Catch up with Neighbors on Islamic Finance
Battered by the oil price slump, the underdeveloped banking sector in Algeria sees new financing sources in Islamic finance to tap into the huge informal economy and catch up with Morocco and Tunisia, which have already allowed such participatory banks to operate. As it edges towards offering banking services to suit more religiously conservative investors, […]
Algeria Beats the Drums of Proxy War in Sahara
The Algeria-based separatist militia, the Polisario, has threatened to fire at the UN peacekeeping mission in the Sahara, MINURSO, if it patrols the demilitarized buffer strip as part of monitoring the 1991 cease-fire agreement. UN Spokesperson told the press in New York that the MINURSO should carry out its mission fully and enjoy unhindered freedom […]
Libya: Moroccan BMCE Bank set to attract new investors
Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) announced a deal with Morocco’s Banque Marocaine du Commerce Exterieur (BMCE) to attract new investors in a move defined as slap for the UN-backed Presidential Council. NOC head Mustafa Sanalla signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with BMCE’s Ibrahim Benjelloun Touimi in Vienna on Friday making the Moroccan bank one […]
Will Horst Köhler Be the Next UN Envoy to the Sahara?
Horst Kohler, former German President (2004-2010), is said to be named to succeed outgoing UN Secretary General’s Personal Envoy for the Sahara, Christopher Ross. Algerian news outlet, TSA, quoted diplomatic sources saying that Horst Köhler will most likely replace the US diplomat Christopher Ross, whose tenure has expired after eight years of mediation that left […]









