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

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City Name

Rabat

Morocco

October 16, 2026

Rabat 8:51 am

20°C

Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, Morocco's newly appointed head of government

Culture

Who is Fatima El Mansouri, Morocco’s first woman prime minister?

Her appointment marks the first time a woman has served as Morocco’s head of government and the second time a woman has held the position in the Arab world.

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 787-9 'Dreamliner' aircraft

Israel, Morocco agree to exchange ambassadors, open embassies

The move will mark the first time Morocco and Israel have exchanged ambassadors.

UDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Fueled by regional rivalries, Algeria severs diplomatic ties with UAE

Algiers accused Abu Dhabi of increasingly “provocative and hostile actions” after years of friction over Morocco, Western Sahara and competing regional interests.

Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, speaks to the media during a FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Press Conference at Mexico City Stadium on June 10, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico.

Analysis

FIFA in turmoil: Middle East takes center stage as Infantino fights to stay in power

Amid the backlash to FIFA President Gianni Infantino's controversial investment plan, upcoming World Cup hosts Morocco and Saudi Arabia have starring roles in the drama.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

Explainer

Estimated 60,000 migrants cross from Morocco into Spanish territory: What we know

Ceuta

Explainer

France-Morocco ties get an energy jolt as historic heatwaves pressure Europe

Director of European Affairs and Customs at La Poste Groupe Christelle Defaye-Geneste (L) and Morocco's Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour (R) sign agreements between La Poste Groupe and Barid Al-Maghrib, alongside France's Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu (C-L) and his Moroccan counterpart, Aziz Akhannouch, during a meeting in Rabat on July 16, 2026.

Naima Morelli

In Rome, reporting on Middle East culture

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

An indigenous Sahrawi woman walks outside her tent in Al Smara desert refugee camp in Tindouf, southern Algeria March 4, 2016. In refugee camps near the town of Tindouf in arid southern Algeria, conditions are hard for indigenous Sahrawi residents. Residents use car batteries for electricity at night and depend on humanitarian aid to get by. The five camps near Tindouf are home to an estimated 165,000 Sahrawi refugees from the disputed region of Western Sahara, according to the United Nations refugee agency

Amid decreasing aid, Sahrawis seek self-sufficiency

A Sahrawi woman's successful business of producing traditional garments is helping other Western Sahara refugees support themselves in Algeria after decades of dependency on aid organizations.

Tunisian-born Holocaust survivor Susana Peretz, 79, sits in her home in the southern city of Beersheba April 4, 2013. Some 192,000 Holocaust survivors live in Israel and about a third have sought aid from the Foundation for the Benefit of the Holocaust Victims in Israel. According to surveys by the foundation, 19 percent of the survivors have admitted to going without adequate amounts of food and 14 percent had to forego medical treatment at least once a year due to financial hardship. The report said that

Israel's Arab Jews officially recognized as victims of Holocaust

Roughly 1,000 of Israel's North African and Iraqi Jews have requested to receive a one-time compensation grant that recognizes the suffering of those communities under the Nazi regime.

Why young Sahrawis are joining military movement against Morocco

Sahrawi youth have grown tired of waiting for the United Nations to break the stalemate between Western Sahara and Morocco.

Women walk by Moroccan police on the streets of El Aaiun, western Sahara, November 6, 2005. Moroccan police were on alert fearing Saharawi demonstrations calling for self-determination to the Saharawi people on the 30th anniversary of the Green March. On November 6, 1975 the so-called Green March into Western Sahara began when 300,000 Moroccans crossed into Western Sahara following the orders of King Hassan II of Morocco to force Spain to hand over the territory. As a result, Spain abandoned Western Sahara

Why some in Western Sahara oppose $1 million US grant

The Obama administration is planning to approve a $1 million grant for civil society organizations in Western Sahara, but many Sahrawis have concerns about the move.

U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) speaks at a news conference in Miami, Florida, August 12, 2015. U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) is seen on the right. Ros-Lehtinen called the opening of a U.S. embassy in Cuba a "diplomatic charade rewarding the tyrannical Castro regime.", local media reported. REUTERS/Joe Skipper - RTX1O2SY

Obama administration steps into Western Sahara minefield

The agency is close to awarding a $1 million grant for the Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara.

Tensions flare in Western Sahara dispute

One word used by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was all it took to reignite tensions over disputed territory in northwest Africa.

Western Sahara controversy hits Congress

Morocco comes under scrutiny on human rights panel.

Why canceled Arab League summit should worry Israelis

Morocco’s decision not to host the Arab League summit has unexpected implications for Israel.

A memorial still remains outside as workers return to work for the first time at the Inland Regional Center (IRC) in San Bernardino, California, January 4, 2016. The office building in San Bernardino, California, where 14 people were massacred last month by a married couple inspired by Islamist militants, reopened on Monday. Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, stormed into a holiday party attended by his co-workers from a San Bernardino County social services agency and opened fire on Dec. 2, k

Congress seeks to punish countries that fail to hinder foreign fighters

The House Foreign Affairs panel will vote this week on a plan to combat international travel by terrorists.

Hannibal Gaddafi, son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, attends the signing agreement ceremony between Libya's Shipping Corporation and STX Europe to build a cruise ship, in Tripoli June 30, 2010. Oslo-based STX Europe, the world's largest vessel building group, will provide Libya with the first Arab cruise liner. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny (LIBYA - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS MARITIME TRANSPORT) - RTR2FYOE

Who kidnapped Hannibal Gadhafi, and why?

The mysterious kidnapping of Hannibal Gadhafi in Lebanon has raised numerous scenarios about the motives behind the operation.

A man takes part in a demonstration in support of Western Sahara's independence, in Madrid November 16, 2014. Thirty-nine years after Spain left Western Sahara in the hands of Moroccan troops, two thirds of its territory still remain under the rule of Rabat. The leader of Polisario Front and president of the The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Mohamed Abdelaziz, demanded the mediation of Spanish authorities in a conflict that started when the former colony was abandoned days before the death of Spanish Di

Moroccan anger over Western Sahara baffles Sweden

The Moroccan government has called for an economic boycott against Sweden for allegedly changing its position to back Western Saharan independence.

Moroccan cartoonists fight for their right to express themselves

It doesn’t seem like Morocco is the perfect place to be for daring caricaturists and satirical writers, but despite restrictions, some are still fighting for freedom of expression.