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

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City Name

Rabat

Morocco

February 12, 2026

Rabat 7:30 am

10°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

King Mohammed VI of Morocco (R) is escorted as he arrives at the 28th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and the Government of the African Union in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, January 31, 2017. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri - RTX2YZKL

What's on Morocco's agenda as it rejoins African Union?

Morocco wants to take advantage of its strong economic presence to gain political support in the Western Sahara dispute while becoming a hub for Western investments in the African continent.

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) shakes hands with King Mohammed VI of Morocco in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, November 22, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS ROYALS) - RTX15P2W

What the US stands to lose by alienating Morocco

After Donald Trump's election, abrupt and extreme changes in US policy threaten its relationship with longtime ally Morocco.

How these artists are working to fight extremism in the Mideast

A group of artists came together at the International Artists Gathering in Fez, Morocco, to generate strategies for a counterattack that points creativity to a social purpose and fights fire with artistic expression.

A Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) perches on a cherry branch in the village of Studencice April 22, 2009. REUTERS/Srdjan Zivulovic (SLOVENIA ANIMALS ENVIRONMENT) - RTXE94M

Goldfinch trainers seek to spread wings beyond Gaza

Palestinian trainers of singing goldfinches hope to one day take part in international competitions, but have been limited so far because of closed borders.

Saudi King Salman bin Abbulaziz Al-Saud attends the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) 37th Summit in Manama, Bahrain, December 6, 2016. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed - RTSUXKH

Why Saudi Arabia and Egypt are competing for influence in Africa

Some observers fear Saudi and Egyptian differences could spread Middle Eastern conflicts to Africa.

Political Islamists brace for Trump era

The president-elect and his advisers take a dim view of the Muslim Brotherhood and its cousins, but could shutting them out end up hurting America the most?

EU court decision may escalate tension with Morocco

Europe's highest court ruled Dec. 21 that trade agreements between the European Union and Morocco do not apply to Western Sahara.

Why Morocco's Islamists struggle to manage economy

A stagnant economy, due to a decline in tourism, agriculture and phosphate earnings, is frustrating voters in a country where the long-term economic trend has not been positive.

Saharawi school children chant as they leave their school at Samra's refugee
camp, near Tindouf in southwestern Algeria, November 22, 2003. The Saharawi
Polisario, the Algerian-backed movement is campaigning for independence for
the mineral-rich territory controlled by Morocco. Morocco and Algeria,
Polisario's main backer in its armed conflict with Morocco from 1975 to
1991, are under increasing international pressure to settle a dispute which
has slowed regional integration. PP03110087 REUTERS/Andrea C

Soccer club gives Sahrawi kids a workout — and hope

Refugee camps have little to offer children, but dozens of kids are taking advantage of a new soccer club that provides training and helps them hone other skills as well.

A thermosolar power plant is pictured at Noor III near the city of Ouarzazate, Morocco, November 4, 2016. Picture taken November 4, 2016. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal - RTX2S18M

Morocco takes lead in climate change fight, but at what cost?

Morocco is pushing forward with an ambitious renewable energy sector, but its policies may be doing more harm than good.

Abdelilah Benkirane, secretary-general of Morocco's Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) speaks during a new conference at the party's headquarters in Rabat, Morocco early October 8, 2016. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal/File Photo TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSRNBW

Will Benkirane be able to form new Moroccan government?

Morocco's recently reappointed prime minister needs to overcome huge challenges to reach a consensus and form a government, as the partisan bloc that is close to the royal palace has set conditions for taking part in a government led by Islamists.

A man waves a sign during a demonstration called by the February 20 protest movement to mark the sixth anniversary of the movement and to demand political reforms and social changes in Rabat February 20, 2016. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal - RTX27UUB

What you need to know about Morocco's recent protests

Protests in Morocco are about more than the death of a fish vendor — they are about social and economic justice.