Morocco - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Morocco cover image

City Name

Rabat

Morocco

January 3, 2026

Rabat 1:51 am

16°C

A customer browses books at a bookshop in the Moroccan capital Rabat on August 9, 2018. On the main arteries of old Rabat, dozens of itinerant booksellers offer books in French, Arabic, and sometimes in English, up to ten times cheaper than their originals. Despite being prohibited, the pirated-books market is largely tolerated in cities across the North African kingdom. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP) (Photo by FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Morocco’s next generation of writers fights for a place on the shelf

A new book fair in Casablanca spotlights the country’s rising talent and the obstacles that still define Morocco’s fragmented publishing world.

CASABLANCA, MOROCCO - AUGUST 20: In this handout image from Populous, digital renderings of the proposed Stade Hassan II stadium in Morocco, projected to be the largest football stadium in the world with 115,000 capacity are depicted on August 20, 2024 in Casablanca, Morocco. The stadium design is by Populous and Oulalou + Choi (Photo by Populous via Handout/Getty Images)

Morocco’s markets rise as World Cup spending fuels largest IPO in decades

Shares in SGTM jumped by 10% on Dec. 16 after the construction firm raised roughly $550 million from its IPO, underscoring demand in a market that has featured few new listings in recent years.

A fan waves a Pride flag before the soccer match between the Seattle Sounders and the Portland Timbers at Lumen Field, on June 3, 2023, in Seattle, Washington.

Culture

World Cup: Iran fumes over LGBTQ+ themes as Jordan qualifies for first time

Morocco is hoping to build on its historic run in 2022, with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and others in the region similarly vying to build on recent successes.

Latest News

Spain, Morocco dismantle drone network flying hashish across border

The Civil Guard, in a joint operation with the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie, has dismantled a criminal organization dedicated to smuggling hashish into Spain using drones, on Nov. 11, 2025.

Analysis

Morocco's UN-backed Western Sahara plan offers investors some reassurance

ABDEL MAJID BZIOUAT/AFP via Getty Images

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Culture

From Hollywood set to heritage hub: Morocco’s $75M bet on Ouarzazate

A man stands atop the kasbah of Ait-Ben-Haddou.

UN Security Council backs Moroccan plan for disputed Western Sahara

Brahim Ghali, President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SARD) and Secretary-General of the Polisario front, salutes the flag of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SARD) ahead of a Polisario congress at the refugee camp of Dakhla, which lies some 170km to the southeast of the Algerian city of Tindouf, on January 13, 2023.

Naima Morelli

In Rome, reporting on Middle East culture

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

Camels roam next to wind turbines that will supply power to a desalination plant under construction in Dakhla in the disputed Western Sahara, mostly controlled by Morocco, on May 26, 2025.

Feature

Trump eyes Algeria-Morocco rift over Western Sahara in latest peace bid

With the world’s attention fixed on the Gaza ceasefire, the Trump administration has its sights set on another diplomatic deal: Western Sahara.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al Falih with Moroccan Industry Minister Riad Mezzour

Saudi investment minister visits Morocco, Senegal on Africa trade drive

Saudi Arabia has pledged more than $41 billion in investment in sub-Saharan Africa over the next decade.

Installation view of CONVERGE in Seven Contours, One Collection at MACAAL © Ayoub El Bardii.

Culture

Marrakech's African Contemporary Art Museum reinvents itself two years after quake

Marking the two-year anniversary of the 2023 earthquake, Marrakech’s Museum of African Contemporary Art highlights the city’s recovery and its growing role as a hub for African art.

ABDEL MAJID BZIOUAT/AFP via Getty Images

Morocco arrests 400+ as youth protesters demand government steps down

The group leading the protests, known as GenZ 212, posted a list of demands on social media Friday, including the dismissal of the current government led by Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.

People look at police vehicles set on fire during a youth-led demonstration demanding reforms in the healthcare and education sectors in Sale on Oct. 1, 2025.

Two killed by police as Morocco’s anti-government protests enter day 5

Two protesters were killed in Morocco on Wednesday as demonstrations continue.

Moroccan soldiers patrol the city of Tangiers on August 11, 2020 amid a new outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

India, Morocco open new military factory in Casablanca region

The facility will make WhAP 8x8 armored combat vehicles for the Moroccan military and international markets.

A container ship is docked at the port of Jebel Ali, operated by the Dubai-based giant ports operator DP World, in the southern outskirts of the Gulf emirate of Dubai, on June 18, 2020.

Amid Trump tariffs, UAE, Singapore to form trade group of small nations

The new group, the Future of Investment and Trade Partnership (FIT-P), is expected to include around 10 countries, with the UAE, Singapore, and New Zealand being founding members.

United Arab Emirates

in the center of the Egyptian capital, May 6, 2022.

Analysis

North Africa’s rail race spurred by World Cup, trade and bullet trains

Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia are betting on high-speed rail, long-distance routes and expanded networks to improve their economic outlook and project power.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Muslim worshippers make their way towards the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque complex in in the holy city of Mecca to take part in morning prayers on the first day of Eid Al-Adha, the feast of the sacrifice, early on June 6, 2025.

Culture

In photos: Muslims kick off Eid al-Adha across the Middle East

The holiday’s arrival cast a spotlight on deepening humanitarian crises, leadership transitions and shifting regional dynamics.

A child crouches over cracked earth at al-Massira dam in Ouled Essi Masseoud village, some 140 kilometres (85 miles) south from Morocco's economic capital Casablanca, on Aug. 8, 2022 amidst the country's worst drought in at least four decades.

Morocco’s agricultural, fishing sectors plunge in 2024 amid drought, climate strain

Agriculture is a pillar of the Moroccan economy, and in 2023, it amounted to more than 11% of the country’s gross domestic product.

Attendees fly a French national flag and an Algerian national flag during a gathering for the election night following the second round results of France's legislative election at Republique Square in Paris on July 7, 2024. A broad left-wing coalition was leading a tight French legislative election, ahead of both President's centrists and the far right with no group winning an absolute majority, projections showed. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP) (Photo by ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images)

Algeria-France crisis peaks as Algiers expels 12 diplomats: What we know

A rift between Algeria and France has heated up on Monday as Algiers ordered a dozen French diplomats out of the country.