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

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City Name

Rabat

Morocco

February 12, 2026

Rabat 3:31 am

13°C

Archaeologists at the entrance of the Contrebandiers (Smugglers) Cave, some 12 miles from the Moroccan capital, Rabat, Sept. 18, 2021.

Culture

Fossil discovery repositions Morocco at center of human evolution 800,000 years ago

Once overlooked, Morocco has emerged as a focal point of human prehistory, with new discoveries and a landmark report reshaping what we know about our species’ evolution.

An emergency vehicle drives through flood waters as residents are evacuated and relocated to other towns as preventive and emergency evacuations are carried out to move residents living near flood-prone areas following the weather alert and the rise in the water level of the Loukkos River, with flooding expected in the coming days, in Ksar El Kebir on Feb. 1, 2026.

Storm Leonardo displaces 140,000 as heavy floods hit northern Morocco

Heavy rains from the storm have flooded northern Morocco, prompting mass evacuations and straining emergency services.

From Egypt to Lebanon: What’s at stake for regional states on Trump’s visa ban list?

The State Department claimed that citizens from the affected countries are more likely to use social welfare services at a high rate.

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.

Latest News

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

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)

Culture

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

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.

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.

Naima Morelli

In Rome, reporting on Middle East culture

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

US soldiers prepare a M1 Abrams tank to offload from a train at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania, February 14, 2017. Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. ROMANIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ROMANIA - RC1DF190B4D0

Pentagon sends surplus tanks to Morocco

The Pentagon is sending hundreds of extra tanks to Morocco to modernize the country’s aging military.

Migration from Libya down but threat of torture, death remains

Despite the risks of getting caught and tortured or killed, migrants still chance the route to Europe through Libya, where the volatile security situation can work in their favor.

Hamas' Meshaal re-emerges with Maghreb tour

The former head of Hamas’ political bureau, Khaled Meshaal, paid official visits to Mauritania and Morocco, a sign of the movement’s efforts to shore up support in the region.

Riot police charge against protesters during a demonstration against official abuses and corruption in the town of Al-Hoceima, Morocco July 20, 2017. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal - RC17B0A23700

More than a year on, Hirak protesters remain behind bars in Morocco

Despite the announcement of a development project in the marginalized Rif region in Morocco, authorities are still detaining and prosecuting hundreds of protesters who took part in demonstrations demanding economic and social justice.

Master Sgt. Richard Harris, 149th Military Engagement Team, Kentucky National Guard, places Royal Army of Oman soldiers in different formations to demon-strate tactical movement for a variety of scenarios during a Mountain Warfare Information Exchange, May 9, 2017, near Salalah, Oman. (U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua Atanovich, 149th Military Engagement Team)

Pentagon surges weapons into Middle East terror fight

The Pentagon is using a little-known fund to give a boost to counterterrorism operations throughout the Middle East.

Former Salafi cleric stuns Morocco with calls for gender equality

Since his release from prison in Morocco, former hardcore Salafist Mohamed Abdelwahab al-Rafiqi has become a controversial figure with his calls for equality in inheritance rights.

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 ìPOLISARIOî FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. - S1BEUKRIISAA

Senate challenges House on Western Sahara dispute

Senate appropriators want to tighten restrictions on US aid to Morocco-occupied Western Sahara one year after the House first made assistance available.

Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia meets his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev upon his arrival at Algiers airport, Algeria October 9, 2017. Picture taken October 9, 2017. Sputnik/Dmitry Astakhov/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1CBAD54670

Russia's balancing act in North Africa

Despite Russia's very different relations with Algeria and Morocco, Moscow takes pains to treat them the same.

Erdogan goes after Morocco’s Gulenists

Several Turks affiliated with the Gulen movement have been arrested in Morocco, raising questions about the kingdom’s independence in its decisions.

Moroccan activist and the leader of "Hirak" Nasser Zefzafi gives a speech during a demonstration against injustice and corruption in the northern town of Al-Hoceima, Morocco, May 18, 2017. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal - RC1A255148A0

In Morocco, press freedom shrinks with Hirak protests

As part of the Moroccan authorities' efforts to silence the Hirak protest movement, journalists are facing pressure and repression, prompting questions about their objectivity and the freedom of the press.

An activist carrying a Berber flag walks on a hilltop above a silver mine, where dozens of poor and unemployed young villagers have been holding a permanent sit-in since 2011, near the town of Imider, southeastern Morocco, August 31, 2015. They have cut off the flow of water from a well that supplies one of the biggest silver mines in Africa. Protesters want to make the company hire more locals and reconsider its water and environmental policies. Picture taken August 31, 2015. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal - RTX1

Sit-in in Morocco’s south still going strong as it enters its seventh year

After six years of an uninterrupted sit-in, the inhabitants of Imider in southeast Morocco march to reaffirm their demands.

Protesters throw stones towards riot police during a demonstrating against alleged corruption in the provincial town of Imzouren, Morocco, June 2, 2017. REUTERS/Youssef Boudla - RTX38R6V

Protests continue in Morocco despite crackdown

Hirak, a protest movement active in Morocco’s marginalized Rif region, is still going strong despite brutal police repression and arrests.