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

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City Name

Rabat

Morocco

December 5, 2025

Rabat 7:49 pm

15°C

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.

Spain, Morocco dismantle drone network flying hashish across border

Spanish authorities seized more than 150 kilograms of hashish and more than 320,000 euros ($371,820) in cash in searches across southern Spain.

ABDEL MAJID BZIOUAT/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

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

Last week, the UN Security Council voted in favor of a resolution backing Rabat’s plan for Western Sahara, describing autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as the “most feasible solution” to the 50-year disagreement over the disputed territory.

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

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

Culture

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

Once the Hollywood of the Sahara, Morocco’s desert city is betting on sustainable tourism to reclaim its place on the map.

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.

UN Security Council backs Moroccan plan for disputed Western Sahara

The resolution boycotted by Algeria says the Moroccan plan "could constitute a most feasible solution" to the conflict.

Latest News

Feature

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

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.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Saudi investment minister visits Morocco, Senegal on Africa trade drive

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

Culture

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

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

Morocco arrests 400+ as youth protesters demand government steps down

ABDEL MAJID BZIOUAT/AFP via Getty Images

Naima Morelli

In Rome, reporting on Middle East culture

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

Hamuya Khalil, 49, a Polisario fighter, stands in an armored vehicle at a forward base on the outskirts of Tifariti, Western Sahara, September 9, 2016. REUTERS/ Zohra Bensemra SEARCH ìPOLISARIOî FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. - S1BEUKRIGMAA

House spending bill repudiates Morocco on Western Sahara

The political wrangling over President Donald Trump’s border wall has dealt Morocco an unwelcome setback.

An UN vehicle arrives to the headquarters of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) on May 13, 2013 in Laayoune, the main city in the disputed territory. Six Sahrawi activists arrested this month after pro-independence protests in Western Sahara said they were tortured by Moroccan police and made to sign confessions, Amnesty International charged on May 16. The Western Sahara is a highly sensitive subject in Morocco, which annexed the former Spanish colony in 1975 in a mov

Intel: Why Bolton’s Africa comments must be freaking out Morocco

Moroccan women walk along a narrow street in Mohamadia, Morocco, April 28, 2018. Picture taken April 28, 2018. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal - RC136B5110C0

Equal inheritance still struggle in Morocco

While Tunisia gears up to become the first country in North Africa to achieve inheritance equality between men and women, the issue still stirs a nationwide controversy in Morocco.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks out as leaders arrive for a family photo at the G20 in Buenos Aires, Argentina November 30, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1CF27DCB60

Saudi Arabia's estrangement

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman got into the G-20 group photo, but his brand remains very toxic.

Morocco eyes privatization to fill its budget deficit

The 2019 finance bill shows a return of the privatization process in Morocco as a step in the direction of opening up the economy, but economists believe this is the ultimate proof of a failing fiscal policy.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) speaks at the Capitol Hill National Security Forum at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., June 21, 2018. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RC14236FD8D0

Congress seeks more control over North Africa counterterror program

Lawmakers want a coherent strategy for the desert region from the Donald Trump administration.

Middle East upheaval casts shadow over 'Arab NATO'

A regional military exercise hosted by Egypt excludes Qatar in a blow to anti-Iran unity.

Gazans flee to Europe, illegally

Palestinians are increasingly seeking to leave the Gaza Strip given the deteriorating living conditions, seeking refuge in Europe.

The Polisario Front soldiers drive a pick-up truck mounted with an anti-aircraft weapon during sunset in Bir Lahlou, Western Sahara, September 9, 2016. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra SEARCH “POLISARIO” FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. - S1BEUKRIISAA

Intel: How Morocco used anti-Iran rhetoric to score its first bill in Congress

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita (L) walks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the US State Department in Washington, DC, on September 17, 2018. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

Morocco plays Iran card to get US support on Western Sahara

Morocco is alleging ties between Hezbollah and the Polisario Front to secure the Donald Trump administration’s support for its territorial claims on the disputed region.

Mideast migrants face increased discrimination in Italy

New Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini is taking steps to stop illegal migration to Italy, but critics say his methods are fueling racism against Middle Eastern foreigners.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) speaks at the Capitol Hill National Security Forum at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., June 21, 2018. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RC14236FD8D0

Congress seeks uptick in North Africa operations

The House Homeland Security panel chief wants to boost funding for counterterrorism in the Sahara region.