Morocco - The African Mirror

Jan

2024

Morocco wins vote to lead UN human rights body after showdown with S.Africa

MOROCCO won a vote to lead the United Nations Human Rights Council after a heated showdown with South Africa, which said Rabat's human rights record made it unfit to preside over the body. The Moroccan candidate, Ambassador Omar Zniber, received 30 votes, and his South African opponent, Ambassador Mxolisi Nkosi, secured 17 in a secret ballot in Geneva. Before the vote, Nkosi told Reuters that Morocco was the "antithesis of what the council stands for" and said the country's election would undermine the body's credibility. Morocco, in turn, accused South Africa and some other African states of undermining its efforts to hold…

Jan

2024

By The African Mirror

In rare African split, South Africa battling Morocco to lead UN rights body

NEWS

SOUTH Africa and Morocco are at loggerheads over the presidency of the United Nations' top human rights body ahead of a vote, with the former saying Rabat has committed violations in Western Sahara and has no credibility to lead the body. For only the second time in the U.N. Human Rights Council's 17-year history, it has been left without a president at the start of the year and it will select one in a secret ballot. It is a rare public dispute in the African group whose turn it is to lead the 47-member council. It normally strives to make…

Jan

2024

By The African Mirror

Moroccan police seizes 1.4 tonnes of cocaine

NEWS

MOROCCAN police said it seized 1.488 tonnes (3,280 lb) of cocaine concealed in banana boxes in the northern Tanger Med port. The drug was found in a container on a Turkey-bound ship with a European flag departing from South America, the police said in a statement. The operation was conducted in coordination with Spanish security services, the Moroccan police said, noting that investigations are ongoing. In October, Moroccan police found 1.37 tonnes of cocaine in Casablanca.

Dec

2023

By The African Mirror

Morocco select blend of youth and experience in African Nations Cup squad

AFCON 2023

MOROCCO coach Walid Regragui has opted for a mixture of youth and experience in his 27-man squad for the African Cup of Nations finals which start next month in the Ivory Coast. Fourteen of the players on the list were at the 2022 Qatar World Cup where Morocco finished fourth. Burnley winger Anass Zaroury was left out but other young talents, including PSV Eindhoven's Ismael Saibari, 22, and Real Betis defender Chadi Riad, 20, were included. "We have a well-balanced group made up of experienced players and talented youth whom we are preparing for the future of the national team,"…

Dec

2023

By The African Mirror

Morocco’s fabulous football year – what’s behind their success on and off the field

AFCON 2023

IN 2022 Morocco became the first African and Arab national football team to reach a Fifa World Cup men’s semi-final, and Wydad AC won the Africa Champions League. The good news continued in 2023 with the women’s team making history by reaching the final 16 at the World Cup and the news that Morocco will host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament and co-host the 2030 men’s World Cup. Mahfoud Amara is an Arab world sport specialist. We asked him what’s behind Morocco’s success. MAHFOUD AMARA, Associate Professor in Sport Policy & Management, Qatar University How has the…

Dec

2023

By AHMED ELJECHTIMI

Morocco set to hit record tourism arrivals despite quake and Gaza war

NEWS

MOROCCO'S tourism industry looks set to have had a record year, boosting the wider economy, despite September's earthquake and what sector professionals see as some disruption to winter bookings due to the war in Gaza. Tourism accounts for 7% of gross domestic product and is a key source of foreign currency. The Tourism Ministry expects 2023 arrivals to reach 14 million by year-end, with 13.2 million visitors by the end of November. In 2022, 11 million tourists visited Morocco and in 2019, the last year before the COVID pandemic hit foreign travel, there were 13 million arrivals. "All signs point…

Dec

2023

By The African Mirror

Ryanair to start Morocco domestic flights in summer 2024

BUSINESS

THE Moroccan government has given its go-ahead for Ryanair to operate domestic flights in the country starting next summer, Morocco's tourism minister said. Ryanair will be the third airline to operate flights in the North African country, after Moroccan carrier RAM and the UAE's Air Arabia. "With the government's approval, Ryanair is launching 11 new domestic routes, connecting nine beautiful cities in Morocco: Agadir, Errachidia, Essaouira, Fez, Marrakesh, Ouarzazate, Oujda, Tangier, and Tetuan," minister Fatima Zahra Ammor said on LinkedIn. Ryanair also planned to introduce 24 new international routes, connecting Morocco to Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, and…

Dec

2023

By CONRAD ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Ethiopia, Tanzania and Morocco ranked Africa’s top tourism performers

NEWS

THE end of a civil war in Ethiopia, Tanzania’s president featuring in a historical tourism documentary and rising infrastructure and marketing investments in Morocco have bolstered the three countries' tourism rankings on the continent, according to a new report. The three countries were ranked as Africa’s top tourism performers in 2023 after exceeding their pre-pandemic arrival numbers by the highest margins. “Africa recovered 92% of pre-crisis arrivals (in) this seven-month period, with Ethiopia, Tanzania and Morocco by far exceeding their respective pre-pandemic levels in January-July 2023,” according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Barometer. The Barometer ranked Ethiopia…

Nov

2023

By MARK GLEESON

Morocco win but other heavyweights humbled in World Cup qualifiers

FOOTBALL

GHANA and South Africa both suffered embarrassing defeats in World Cup qualification while top contenders Cameroon, Guinea, Senegal and Zambia also found it tough on the road as they all dropped points. On a busy day of 15 matches across the continent, there were also wins for Burkina Faso, the Cape Verde Islands, Morocco, Namibia, Tunisia and Uganda. But it was the Comoros, with a population of around a million, and Rwanda ranked 140 in world football, who tore up the form book in beating Ghana and South Africa respectively. Ghana’s loss in Moroni was a harsh reminder of their…

Nov

2023

By The African Mirror

Morocco unearths Roman-era second century site in Rabat

NEWS

MOROCCAN archaeologists said on Friday they uncovered a Roman-era site in Rabat containing a port district, a bath and a cemetery dating back to the second century. The archaeological site, now the third largest in Morocco, will offer insight into the lives of Roman settlers and romanised Moroccans or Mauro-Romans in that era, lead archaeologist Abdelaziz El Khayari said at a news conference on-site. The Roman-era bath spans over 2000 square meters (21,527 square feet) resembling its imperial counterparts in Rome, he said. Archaeologists also found a second-century headless statue of a Roman deity, he said, noting that when ancient…