Seismic Activity in Morocco's North Causes Concern

Over the last few months the cities of Nador and Al Hoceima have experienced repeated earthquakes and aftershocks. The effect on the local population has been, to put it mildly, unnerving

According to an earthquake tracking site Nador has experienced 2 earthquakes in the past 7 days, 11 earthquakes in the past month and a total of 25 earthquakes in the past year. Nador and Hoceima have witnessed numerous quakes since January, with the strongest measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale on Jan. 25, injuring 15 people. Following the quake there were complaints that Moroccan media were slow to release details.

A previous major earthquake, also a 6.3-magnitude one, struck Hoceima in 2004, killing 600 people and leaving thousands homeless.

The latest earthquake occurred last Wednesday (March 16th) at 4.27pm. The quake of 5.1 degrees on the Richter scale and triggered a wave of unrest, with residents calling for the implementation of emergency measures. An aftershock of magnitude 4.2 was felt the following day (Thursday). The epicentre was 56 kilometres (35 miles) from Al Hoceima.

Earlier quakes in the region

While the area is known to be seismically active, the regularity of the quakes is causing alarm and psychological distress to the extent that following Wednesday's quake many of the people of Nador and Al Hoceima took to the streets and experienced a sleepless night rather than stay in their homes.

Nador residents feel safer in the streets

According to the local newspaper Nador City, citizens took to the streets and left their houses and most of them did not return home all night. Local authorities have counted twenty-six cases of fainting in schools in the province of Al Hoceima. The students were transferred to the nearest health centres and left after receiving the necessary assistance.

Damage in Melilla following January quake

Perhaps the strangest reaction to the earthquakes came from Yahya El Mdaghri, a Moroccan imam, who attributed the January series of earthquakes in Nador and Al Hoceima, to divine wrath! El Mdaghri, the imam of the Hamza Mosque in Salé, said during traditional Friday prayer that God knows what He is doing, implying that the earthquakes were the result of God’s punishment for the region. The imam said that if the earthquakes happened in such regions, which he described as “mired in drug trafficking”, then the people deserved the disasters.

According to the Le360 news website the imam, instead of showing support for the victims of the earthquake, showed no compassion and allegedly blamed Moroccans’ behaviour for the natural disaster.

Residents of northern Morocco were outraged by the imam’s words and have described him as “ISIS-like”.

A little seismic history tells another story

Back on November 1st, 1755, a massive quake struck Portugal, Spain and northern Morocco in what came to be known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake. With an estimated magnitude of 8.5 to 9.0, the earthquake nearly destroyed the city of Lisbon. What wasn't destroyed by the quake was demolished in the ensuing tsunami and fires that raged for days. Altogether, at least 40,000 people were killed.

More than 250 years later, geologists are still piecing together the tectonic story behind that powerful earthquake. A unique subduction zone beneath Gibraltar, the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula, now seems to be culprit. Subduction zones are the spots where one of Earth's tectonic plates dives beneath another, often producing some of the world's strongest earthquakes.

Marc-Andre Gutscher, a geologist at the University of Brest in France, says, "If subduction occurred, and is still occurring here, then it's highly relevant to understanding the region's seismic hazards."

Gutscher's work has shown that sunken ocean lithosphere — a layer that comprises Earth's crust and upper mantle — lies beneath Gibraltar, and that it's still attached to the northern part of the African Plate. Other teams have found crumpled ocean crust and active mud volcanoes in the Gulf of Cadiz, where water within the buried lithosphere mixes with sediments and boils up to the surface.

Altogether, these lines of evidence make a pretty convincing case for subduction, Gutscher said.

The world's tectonic plates

But unlike the textbook examples of huge subduction zones found at the Mariana Trench or under Alaska's Aleutian Islands, this subduction zone is comparatively tiny.

"Its very small size and ultra-slow motion make the Gibraltar subduction zone unique," Gutscher says. "It's probably the narrowest subduction zone in the world — about 200 kilometres [120 miles] wide at most — and it's moving at far less than a centimeter per year."

What's happening under Gibraltar is an example of something called rollback subduction: As the sliver of lithosphere sinks into the mantle, the line where it's still "hinged" to the African Plate rolls back further and further, stretching the crust above it.

If subduction under Gibraltar is a thing of the past, there's little danger of future earthquakes. But that's not true if it is still happening — as Gutscher and many others believe to be the case.

That's because subduction has already created a tiny tectonic block, or microplate, between the African and Eurasian Plates. Researchers using GPS have shown that this microplate is still moving a few millimeters westward every year, thanks to ongoing rollback subduction.

The boundaries of this microplate lie in southern Spain and northern Morocco. Like California's San Andreas Fault, they're strike-slip boundaries (but smaller and slower-moving), so they're capable of generating earthquakes every now and then, Gutscher says.

The Great Lisbon Earthquake

But as far as another Great Lisbon Earthquake, residents of this region can breathe easy — at least for another millennium or so.

"Given the very slow motion of the faults in the area, you need many centuries to build up enough slip to generate such a great earthquake," Gutscher explained. "A magnitude-8.5 or -9 earthquake is probably pretty much out of the question, since the last such tremendous event was only 250 years ago."

While the science may be correct, it is little comfort to the citizens of Nador and El Hociema, who are living on shaky ground.

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Morocco ~ Then and Now - El Hoceima

The View from Fez is in debt to Enzo Pantosti for bringing the old photograph of El Hoceima to our attention. The photographer of the 1950's shot is unknown, but Enzo took the modern one.

Al Hoceima, Hotel Etoile du Rif, 1950. In those years, it was called Hotel Florido.

Al Hoceima is a city in the north of Morocco on a northern edge of the Rif Mountains, on the Mediterranean coast. It is situated in the territory of the Ayt Weryaghel and Ibeqquyen tribes of the Rif, who speak Tarifit Berber, locally called Tamazight.

Between 1994 and 2004 the town and surrounding villages were hit by two earthquakes. The first, at 6.0 on the Richter scale, occurred on May 26, 1994. The second, at 6.4, occurred on February 24, 2004, killing more than 560 people.


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Earthquake Hits Morocco and Spain

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 degrees on the Richter scale, was recorded in the early hours of Monday off Nador and Al Hoceima in northern Morocco. The epicentre was at a depth of 10 kilometres, 62km NNE of Al Hoceima. The quake was also felt in southern Spain and in the Strait of Gibraltar and as far away as Fez

Damage in Melilla

Several sources ,including Rif24. report the death of of an  8 year old child. There are also reports of five cases of individuals who suffered fractures and some cases of fainting.

The earthquake was also felt in the Spanish occupied town of Melilla in Moroccan territory, causing electrical cuts and structural damage.

Many in Fez were woken by the earthquake, with one Medina resident describing the "rattling of windows" and the smaller jolts of aftershocks. There are no reports of injuries or structural problems.

Rubble in Nador

The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) issued a map showing the cities where the tremor was felt. According to the same source, the quake occurred on Monday at 5:03 am local time (GMT). The same source said that five aftershocks have been felt along the Strait of Gibraltar in the following hours: 5.0 at 4:30 local time, 5.3 at 4:34, 4.6 at 5:03, 5.1 at 5:54 and 5.3 at 6:10.

The epicentre of the earthquake was located near the city of Al Hoceima, which was hit in 2004 by a devastating earthquake. The earthquake was also felt in Fez, Morocco’s second most populous city after Casablanca, as well as in Taza.

This earthquake comes few days after another earthquake with a magnitude of 5.2 degrees on the Richter scale, was recorded Thursday off Nador, according to a statement from the National Institute of Geophysics, an arm of the National Centre for Scientific and Technical Research (CNRST).

Morocco has had 11 earthquakes in the past 7 days, all in the region of Al Hoceïma.

There has been criticism in Morocco of the lack of coverage of the event on Moroccan TV channels.

Morocco World News reports that well known singer Asmae Lmnawar criticised the lack of coverage.

“I have a question I can’t keep for myself: Don’t Moroccan TV channels know that we need to know what happened? They dealt with this in cold way, and thank God there are other sources of information,” the Moroccan singer said on her official page.

Singer Asmae Lmnawar criticised the lack of coverage

While international media have been reporting on the disaster as it happened and kept updating their audiences with the latest available information, Moroccan media have shown no interest in updating the Moroccan public.

In the absence of a real and professional coverage of the earthquake, most Moroccans turned to Spanish media to obtain first-hand information. Spanish national television showed panicked people on the streets in coastal cities in southern Spain as well as in occupied Melilla.

Television reports showed people surveying cracked building facades, but the regional government of Andalusia, in southern Spain, issued a statement saying that there had been no reports of casualties. The tremors were felt as far inland as Seville, the capital of Andalusia.

Morocco World News was among the first news outlets in the world to report on the earthquake just few minutes after it occurred.

In February 2004, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake near Al Hoceima killed 631 people. The last major earthquake in Spain, in 2011, destroyed much of the town of Lorca, in the southeast, and killed nine people.

A seismic snapshot

The Mediterranean region is seismically active due to the northward convergence (4-10 mm/yr) of the African plate with the Eurasian plate. The movement is between 4 and 10 mm/year along the  complex plate boundary.

In the Mediterranean region there is a written record, several centuries long, documenting pre-instrumental seismicity (pre-20th century). Earthquakes have historically caused widespread damage across central and southern Greece, Cyprus, Sicily, Crete, the Nile Delta, Northern Libya, the Atlas Mountains of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. The 1903 8.2 Kythera earthquake and the 1926 7.8 Rhodes earthquakes are the largest instrumentally recorded Mediterranean earthquakes

Between 1939 and 1999 a series of devastating 7+ strike-slip earthquakes propagated westward along the North Anatolian Fault Zone, beginning with the 1939 7.8 Erzincan earthquake on the eastern end of the North Anatolian Fault system. The 1999 7.6  Izmit earthquake, located on the westward end of the fault, struck one of Turkey's most densely populated and industrialised urban areas killing, more than 17,000 people. Although seismicity rates are comparatively low along the northern margin of the African continent, large destructive earthquakes have been recorded and reported from Morocco in the western Mediterranean, to the Dead Sea in the eastern Mediterranean. The 1980 7.3 El Asnam earthquake was one of Africa's largest and most destructive earthquakes within the 20th century.

Large earthquakes throughout the Mediterranean region have also been known to produce significant and damaging tsunamis. One of the more prominent historical earthquakes within the region is the Lisbon earthquake of November 1, 1755, whose magnitude has been estimated from non-instrumental data to be about 8.0.  The earthquake is notable for both a large death toll of approximately 60,000 people and for generating a tsunami that swept up the Portuguese coast inundating coastal villages and Lisbon.

The 7.2 December 28, 1908 Messina earthquake is the deadliest documented European earthquake. The combination of severe ground shaking and a local tsunami caused an estimated 60,000 to 120,000 fatalities.

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Fez Earthquake Update ~ Five Shocks in Ten Days

There has been an unusual amount of seismic activity in the Fez region over the last few days. Thankfully none of it destructive. Three earthquakes were recorded on Thursday morning. The first of magnitude 4 on the Richter scale, whose epicentre was in Ain Bida, occurred at 5:29. The second, whose epicentre was in the town of Agdal, occurred at 5:42 and had a magnitude of 3.8

In district of Sidi Boujida, many people took to the streets. "After completing the Fajr prayer in the mosque next door, I returned to the house where the walls of my house started shaking," said  a resident.

Local authorities have assured that these shocks caused no casualties or damage. Later the government seismic research institute, the  CNRST recorded another quake in Ain Kansra. With a magnitude of 3.8 degrees, it was observed at 11:28.

These earthquakes came only ten days after the first earthquake in Oued Ifrane, in the neighbouring province of Ifrane. With a magnitude of 4.3 degrees on the Richter scale, it was followed by another a few days later in the town of Ain ​​Leuh (3.8 degrees).

Tectonic plates in Morocco's region

 Morocco is located in a geographical area prone only to moderate seismic activity, but relatively strong earthquakes may occur. One of the factors is the geographic location of the eastern end of the Rif mountain belt, which is part of the diffuse boundary between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates.

 As a reminder, February 29, 1960, earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 degrees in Agadir, had 12,000 victims. More recently, on February 24, 2004 at Imzouren near Al Hoceima, a violent quake of 6.3 degrees  killed 629, injured 926 people and left 15,230 homeless.

A history of major Moroccan earthquakes

Rescue workers pulled children from the rubble up to twelve days after the Agadir quake

The 1960 Agadir earthquake took place on Monday, February 29th 1960 at 23.47. The death toll from the 6.7 magnitude quake  was 12,000. The earthquake was the worst to ever hit Morocco.

Modern-day Agadir was rebuilt a mile (2kms) south of the earthquake epicentre and is now a seaport and seaside resort with a large sandy beach.

The magnitude 6.0 Al Hoceima earthquake of May 26, 1994, injured one person and caused significant damage to adobe buildings.

A resident of the village of Imzouren, near Al Hoceima, steps over rubble a day after an earthquake, measuring 6.3 on the open-ended Richter scale, hit the region in 2004

The 2004 Morocco earthquake was a magnitude 6.4  and occurred on 24 February  near the coast of northern Morocco. At least 631 people were killed, 926 injured, 2,539 homes destroyed and more than 15,000 people homeless in the Al Hoceima-Imzourene-Beni Abdallah area. The quake was felt from Tetouan to Nador and as far south as Fez. Several aftershocks killed at least three people and destroyed previously weakened buildings.


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Moroccan News Briefs #95

Gabonese President in Morocco

President of the Gabonese Republic, Haj Ali Bongo Ondimba and his wife Sylvia Bongo, arrived in Fez on Monday ahead of a visit the opening of the 6th edition of the foundations of Agriculture exhibition in Meknes. His Majesty King Mohammed VI presided over the opening ceremony on Tuesday.

HM The King and the President 

During the ceremony, the Minister of Agriculture and Maritime Fisheries, Aziz Akhannouch, gave a speech  in which he presented the results of the plan "Green Morocco" and laid out the future development paths for Moroccan agriculture. The minister pointed out that the agricultural gross domestic product recorded during the period 2008-2012 showed an increase of nearly 32% compared to the period 2005-2007.

While the president of Gabon is visiting the agricultural show in Meknes, Princess Lalla Salma and the First Lady of Gabon visited the Oncology Hospital CHU Hassan II in Fez. HRH Princess Lalla Salma, Chairwoman of the Lalla Salma-Prevention Foundation for cancer treatment, accompanied  Sylvia Bongo.

The hospital serves a population of over three million inhabitants of the Fès-Boulemane region and other regions of the North and East of the Kingdom. With a medical oncology, a nuclear medicine department and one radiotherapy department, the hospital has a medical staff of 15 specialist doctors, 45 nurses and five physiotherapists. It focuses on the medical care of cancer patients using chemotherapy, hormonal therapies, immunotherapies and palliative care.


Morocco Cancels "War Games"

Morocco has cancelled its annual military exercises with the United States after the Obama administration supported adding human rights monitoring to the U.N. mission to the disputed Western Sahara territory, U.S. officials said.

African Lion exercise in 2012

The 13th annual "African Lion" exercise — involving 1,400 U.S. servicemen and 900 Moroccan troops — had been set to start Wednesday with many personnel already in place and international observers invited.

The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because there has not yet been a formal announcement of the cancellation. Morocco's government spokesman declined to comment.

Mustapha Khalfi, the spokesman who doubles as the minister of communication, did summon journalists on Tuesday to express his government's anger over initiatives to broaden the U.N. mission's mandate to include human rights monitoring.

"It is an attack on the national sovereignty of Morocco and will have negative consequences on the stability of the whole region," he warned. "We count on the wisdom of the members of the Security Council to avoid such initiatives."

"Morocco rejects any proposals to expand the mandate of the MINUS or establish an alternative international mechanism for monitoring human rights in the southern provinces," Moroccan Foreign Minister Saad Dine El Otmani said on yesterday.

The manoeuvres have been a part of an annual joint exercise carried out since the 1990s.

NOTE: Also see the opinion piece at the end of this post for more background


Weather warning

The unusual amount of wind in Fez over the last few days may well be advanced warning of some bad weather. Violent rainstorms have been predicted for Morocco's western Mediterranean region. According to the weather channel heavy rains and thunderstorms are possible until Friday. The North East of Morocco will be most threatened along with northern Algeria and a large part of the Spanish coast areas.It is predicted that if the rains arrive they could be as heavy as 150 mm of rain in a few hours. A short lull is expected on Friday. Europe will be affected in turn by these disturbances with dropping temperatures.


The Moroccan economy grew by 4.8% in the first quarter of 2013

Morocco has recorded economic growth of 4.8% for the first quarter of 2013 against 2.7% in the first quarter of 2012, according to a statement of the Planning High Commissioner to Plan. This result highlights an agricultural activity enhanced by abundant rainfall, well distributed during the winter and spring period and noted a slight improvement in industrial activity. However, household consumption would have posted a smaller increase over the same period, estimated at 2.8% against 4.8% last year, due to a rise in consumer prices.


More migrant deaths

Eleven migrants trying to reach Europe died after their boat capsized off the north coast of Morocco, medical sources and a human rights group said on Wednesday.

Of the 34 people travelling in the boat, reached up by the Moroccan navy at midday on Tuesday, two children, three women and six men died, and another 12 were hospitalised, a doctor in the coastal town of Hoceima reported. All but one of the victims drowned, the other dying while being transported to Hoceima hospital, according to Faisal Oussard, local representative for the Moroccan Association of Human Rights.

They were all sub-Saharan migrants but their nationalities were not known.

Oussard said the boat capsized nine kilometres (six miles) off Hoceima, having set off from Nador, 130 kilometres to the east, either headed for the north African Spanish enclave of Melilla, or mainland Spain. The sea was calm when the accident took place, but the boat, a rigid inflatable, or RIB, was far too small for the number of people it was carrying, he added.

The condition of those those hospitalised in Hoceima and the fate of the 11 people who escaped without injury were not known.

The Moroccan authorities frequently expel sub-Saharan migrants across the Algerian border, which is their main point of entry.

The tiny Spanish occupied enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, perched on the coast of north Africa and both claimed by Morocco, are key launching pads for clandestine migration to Europe.

Melilla received 2,224 illegal immigrants last year, 262 more than in 2011, according to Spain's Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz. He blamed instability in Africa's Sahel region, and especially in Mali, for the rise in illegal immigrants trying to enter the territory.

Local associations estimate that Morocco was hosting between 20,000 and 25,000 migrants from sub-Saharan countries in 2012 hoping for access to Europe through Spain.


Solar boat in Morocco 

After last year's visit of the solar powered aircraft, Solar Impulse, now it is the turn of the Swiss boat "Tûranor Planet Solar" (Power of the Sun) to anchor Morocco. The largest solar boat in the world visited the Marina Bouregreg. The crew chose Rabat as a starting point for its second transatlantic crossing which will begin in May. At a press conference on April 18 at the Marina, Didier Rabo communication director at the University of Geneva, partner of the event, said that the expedition will collect measurements along the Gulf Stream, as ocean current that is of paramount importance in regulating the climate in the northern hemisphere.

MS Tûranor Planet Solar is the largest solar-powered boat in the world. The vessel was designed by LOMOcean Design, built by Knierim Yachtbau in Kiel, Germany and launched on 31 March 2010. In May 2012 it became the first ever solar electric vehicle to circumnavigate the globe.


Opinion -

W Lebed writes on the US Morocco News Board about the background to the US - Morocco war games fiasco

US-Morocco: The Blunder & The 200 Year Relationship

There are days when reality parodies better what the likes of Mark Burnett in Expedition Impossible can come up with. Take 1,400 U.S. military personnel, ship tons of heavy military equipment to Agadir and Marrakech, add more than 900 Moroccan RAF staff to the mix and invite 14 partner nations from NATO, but then as they are about to kick-start their pre-planned annual war games, blow the whistle and call the whole thing off because a clumsy US bureaucrat at the United Nations decided to put the kibosh, albeit briefly, on the longest peace and friendship treaty that the US have with a foreign power.

You could not make it up, really. That's what actually happened this week when Susan Rice hatched a plot supposedly on her own or more likely with the wink and nudge of some malevolent hand to undermine Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.

The result is a hand grenade in the Moroccan royal palace that no one really anticipated even in the most far-fetched of Hollywood scenarios. That definitely got everybody's hackles up in Morocco from your average Omar and Nadia to the most seasoned diplomats. What's more upsetting is to see senior US security and military officials have eggs on their face in Agadir and Marrakech. And, believe me, it was not a pretty picture either. They were all left dashing left, right and centre wondering what on earth has possessed their Moroccan counterpart. Sunstroke. Definitely not.

The answer is to be found hidden in Susan Rice's drawer. Her draft document was a pernicious and malicious idea meant to remove bit by bit Morocco's authority over Western Sahara to satisfy the greed and voracity of the anti-Moroccan lobby, which operates in Washington and New York on behalf of the cack-handed but brutal military junta of Algeria.

Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman of Casablanca may possibly have applauded the ingenuity and creativity of these graceless co-conspirators. However, this gauche idea would definitely not have pleased a former US diplomat who runs the show at Rick's Cafe in Casablanca. Just imagine the pretty place packed with Russian spies, Iranian agents, North Korean loonies and Chinese businessmen plotting together to take over lock, stock and barrel the running of the show in this sensitive and strategic part of the world.

Western powers would rue the day a certain Susan Rice had been promoted above her station under Obama's administration. Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, Susan Rice walks into the minefields of North Africa and the Middle East. Unprepared, unready, unaware and more significantly unsuspecting of the trap that the moustached and evil-minded generals of Algiers were laying for her.

Luckily, the wise men and women of the Obama administration in Washington who know the ins and outs of this tricky part of the world came alive in time and swept clean Rice's mess far away from the U.N. headquarters. Now is the time for the US military personnel to enjoy the golden beaches of Agadir where they can have some rest and relaxation, play football with the local kids and enjoy Moroccan hospitality despite the blues that befell them once they were told that what their commander in chief sent them to do was postponed to a later date.

The sages at the Pentagon know very well that Morocco is the only safe place in the whole Muslim world where their soldiers can walk, talk and interact with the local population without fear of being stabbed or murdered by some crazed person sent by a mad mullah, and more interestingly without staying inside some green zones or high fortification.

What's more, the wise heads of the Central Intelligence Agency are also well aware that Morocco is the only safe place in North Africa and the Middle East where their future intelligence officers can be sent to live with a local Muslim family to learn the language and culture of this troubled parts of the world.

Many a Peace Corps volunteers who spent time in Morocco working in projects for technological, agricultural and educational improvement are now in office across the MENA region serving their homeland with professional aplomb.

Let's hope for the sake of more than 200 years of US-Morocco peace and friendship a mediocre person is not allowed once again to blemish this pristine record. Amen!


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Another Al Hoceima Earthquake

An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.7 degrees on the Richter scale was recorded today in the province of Al Hoceima, says the National Institute of Geophysics (ING). The quake, whose epicenter is located in Bni Bounsar commune (Al Hoceima province), occurred at 5:35 am (GMT + 1), says the ING National Seismic Monitoring and Warning Network in a seismic warning bulletin.

The tremor was 34 km deep, 34.892 ° N latitude and 4.435 ° W longitude.

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Snow Causes Road Closures

Strong snowfall and the difficult weather conditions that Morocco has been experiencing has caused the closure of several roads, including in Ifrane, Midelt, Al Hoceima, Taza, Azilal and Al Haouz. Ministry teams are hard at work to restore traffic. According to the latest road safety bulletin of the Ministry of Equipment and Transport, 26 roads are still cut - 3 national roads, 8 regional roads and 15 provincial roads

In its bulletin, the Ministry reports problems on the RN 2 road linking Bab Berred and Issagen (Chefchaouen-Al Hoceima province), the RN 8 road linking Taounate-Issagen-Targuisrt (Al-Hoceima province), the RN 13 road linking Timehdit and Midelt (Midelt province) ), the RR 707 road linking Ifrane and Boulemane, the RR 706 road connecting Rich-Outerbate-Bouzou (Midelt province), the RR317 road linking Imilchil-Aghbala (Midelt province).

Other roads cut off because of the snowfall,  include the RR504 connecting Ribat El Kheir and Bouiblane (province of Taza-Sefrou), the RR 507 road connecting Maghraoua and Bouiblane (province of Taza), the RR 302 road connecting Tizi N'Tirghist and Zaouit Ahansal (Azilal province), the RR 307 road linking Imin Ifri and Ait Tamlil Tizi N'sadghat (Azilal province), the RP 7215 road connecting Azrou and Ain Leuh ( Ifrane province), the RP 7231 road connecting Habri and Michlifen-Ifrane province, the road RP 7216 connecting the RN 13 and Bekrit (Ifrane province), the RP 2028 road linking Tahanaout and Oukaimden (Al province) Haouz), the road RP 3107 relined Azilal-Aitmhamed-Tabante (province of Azilal), the road RP 7319 connecting Itze-Anefgou-imilchil (province of Midelt). It should also be noted that 5 roads have been cut in the province of Boulemane.

In its newsletter, the ministry reported that 40 roads have been re-established (7 national roads, 9 regional roads and 24 provincial roads). Morocco is facing a cold snap as heavy snowfall hit the High Atlas and the Middle Atlas, from 900 meters above sea level, with temperatures reaching -5 ° C.

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Moroccan News Briefs #137

Morocco Does the Right Thing By Qatar

According to the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, King Mohammed VI has ordered that food be sent to Qatar. Morocco joins Turkey, Oman and Iran in assisting Qatar avoid the Saudi led blockade.

Morocco's decision is “in line with the teachings of our religion especially during the month of Ramadan where requites solidarity between Muslim people,” explained the communiqué. The King’s order to send goods to Qatar followed Morocco’s offer on Sunday to mediate between Qatar and other Gulf countries, which severed ties with Doha last week.

The Ministry stressed that the decision to send food “had nothing to do with the political aspects of the current crisis between Qatar and other sister states,” noting that Morocco’s position vis-à-vis the issue had been fully detailed in a communiqué on Sunday.

Morocco joins Turkey, Oman and Iran in assisting Qatar

Sunday’s communiqué stated that because there are “strong personal ties of sincere fraternity and mutual consideration between King Mohammed VI […] and His brother Kings and Emirs of the Gulf countries, the Kingdom of Morocco has been careful not to pay into public statements and hasty statements which only reinforce discord and deepen differences.”

It added that the Kingdom of Morocco is “ready to offer its good offices with a view to promote a frank and comprehensive dialogue on the basis of no-interference in internal affairs and the fight against religious extremism.”

Morocco’s commitment to end the crisis between the Gulf crisis highlights the strong ties between the Kingdom of Morocco and the countries of the region. Relations between Morocco and Qatar have witnessed a steady improvement in recent years. This improvement was reflected in the number of investments Qatar has launched in Morocco.

The latest investment was announced last February when the Qatari government announced its decision to invest $150 million in building a dam project in the province of Guelmim in southern Morocco. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2021.

As recently as March 26, 2017, the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, welcomed the then Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Salaheddine Mezouar, who delivered to him a verbal message from King Mohammed VI.

Royal Air Maroc (RAM) and the Qatar Blockade

Morocco’s flag carrier, Royal Air Maroc, said that it will maintain its five weekly flights to Doha although it cancelled flights transiting through Doha Airport to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt.

In this context, Royal Air Maroc explained in a statement that “it will continue serving its customers connection flights in Doha in partnership with Qatar Airways with the exception of four countries: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt.”

The Moroccan airline requested its customers who bought tickets to the four cancelled destinations to contact the company’s call centre to get further information.

Morocco opted for neutrality in the Gulf crisis involving Qatar. So far 7 Arab countries severed ties with Doha-Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Libya, Yemen and Mauritania- over accusations of supporting terrorism and sidelining with Iran.

“Morocco is closely following the unfolding of events in the Gulf countries and the Moroccan diplomacy, known for restraint and wisdom, is in contact with all countries to understand what happened,” Morocco’s Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita told the local press.

Despite geographic distance, Morocco maintains strong ties with GCC countries, notably Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In April 2016, a GCC-Morocco summit stressed the importance of the strategic partnership binding the two parties.

Eid Al Fitr

Moroccans can expect to welcome Eid Al Fitr on Monday, June 26, breaking the fast on the 30th day of Ramadan. according to the astrological predictions of Rabat Society of Astronomy.

The president of Rabat’s Society of Astronomy, Abdel-Hafiz Bani, says that its astronomers are expecting the date of Eid al-Fitr to be on the sunset of the twenty-ninth day of the Hijri month.

France 24 Banned in Morocco?

According to some sources Moroccan authorities have prohibited the activities of the media channel France 24 in Morocco.

The ban would have been formulated verbally on Sunday, by the Ministry of Communication to the company that produces the broadcasts of the channel in Morocco.

The reason: the Moroccan authorities point the finger "a partial and non-objective coverage of the events of the Rif, the dissemination of unverified information".

Meanwhile, the channel's management has still not received official confirmation of the ban, which comes just 24 hours before the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Morocco, scheduled for 14 and 15 June in Rabat.

Meanwhile, in the Rif

Minister of Interior Abdelouafi Laftit made a “surprise” visit to Al Hoceima on Monday for the second time in a month.

Laftit has been accompanied by a ministerial delegation comprising of Minister of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water, Abdelkader Aamara, his Secretary of State, Charafat Afilal and the General Director of the National Office of Water and Electricity, Ali Fassi Fihri.

On his visit, Laftit will meet with the president of the regional council for Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Ilyas El Omari, and the region’s Wali, Mohamed Yaakoubi.

An unnamed source stated that officials are expected to be informed on the development of projects in the region, especially those regarding sustainable development, like the Menarat Al-Mutawasat project in the Al Hoceima area.

Charafat Afilal visited the region with the General Director of the National Office of Drinking Water in order to propose a solution to the city’s water shortages, which are particularly rife during summer.

Laftit’s visit comes a day after thousands took part in a mass march in Rabat in solidarity with Rif protesters.

Protesters in downtown Rabat on Sunday

The October 2016 death of fishmonger Mouhcine Fikri, who was fatally crushed to death in a trash compactor, sparked eight months of protests in the Al Houceima in northern Morocco. These demonstrations have intensified in recent weeks due to the arrest of the movement’s leader Nasser Zafzafi and detention of at least 85 other activists.

In a bid to halt these demonstrations and respond to the socioeconomic demands of protesters, the Moroccan government announced on May 23 a plan to invest MAD 10 billion in the region.

French President to Visit

French President Emmanuel Macron will pay an official visit to Morocco on June 14-15, the Elysée announced.

The visit to Morocco will be the first for the French President to the Maghreb after his election last May. This first visit to Morocco and to the Maghreb by President Macron, who will be accompanied by his wife Brigitte, “will strengthen the relations and the ties between our two countries”, the Elysée added.

The visit will add momentum to the excellent partnership between Morocco and France. During his stay in Morocco, the French President will hold talks with King Mohammed VI on issues of mutual concern, notably the situation in the Maghreb, the Sahel and the Middle East.

President Macron will also meet the Head of Government and the Speakers of the two chambers of the Parliament.

The French President is expected to give a press conference on June 15 at the end of his visit to Morocco.

The fact that President Macron chose Morocco for his first trip in the region mirrors the excellent political, economic, and cultural ties binding the two countries and evidences the continuity marking French-Moroccan partnership.

It also fulfills some of the electoral promises made by Emmanuel Macron who ambitions to foster further his country’s relations with the Maghreb and with Africa that he described in an interview during his presidential campaign as “the continent of the future”, which witnessed “unprecedented transformation” and “steady growth since 2000”. And precisely, in Morocco, seen in France as a showcase of successful Africa, President Macron and his team would not find it difficult to find partners for economic initiatives in West Africa or political initiatives in the Sahel region.

Mirroring the excellence of political relations between the two countries, bilateral economic ties have also been bolstered in recent years. In 2015, 17% of France’s foreign direct investments, i.e. €484 million of the total net foreign direct investment were received by Morocco, mainly in industry.

With some 750 subsidiaries of French companies, Morocco is the leading destination of French investment on the African continent.

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Morocco's Cold Weather Continues

Cold weather and strong gusts of wind are expected from Tuesday to Thursday in several provinces of the kingdom, says the Directorate of National Meteorology (DMN) in a special bulletin

The DMN specifies that strong gusts of wind ranging from 65 to 95 km/h will continue Tuesday and Wednesday in the provinces of Boulemane, Midelt, Taza, Driouch, Nador, Al-Hoceima, Guercif, Berkane, Taourirt, Oujda, Jerada, Figuig , Ifrane, Ouarzazate, Tinghir, Guelmim, Essaouira, Errachidia, Zagora, Tan-Tan, Tarfaya, Laayoune, Essmara, Assa-Zag, Boujdour, Oued-Eddahab and the reliefs of Tiznit, Chichaoua, Sidi-Ifni and Azilal.

In addition, low minimum temperatures oscillating between -08 and -01 ° C will be recorded Wednesday and Thursday in Ifrane, El Hajeb, Sefrou, Boulemane, Midelt, Khenifra, Beni-Mellal, Azilal, Chichaoua, Al-Haouz, Taza and reliefs of Tinghir, Errachidia, Ouarzazate and Taroudant.

Cold weather will also prevail in Figuig, Jerada, Oujda, Taroudant, Berkane, Driouch, Guercif, Taounat, Fez, Meknes, Moulay-Yaakoub, Chefchaouen, Khemisset, Khouribga and the reliefs of Al-Hoceima, Tetouan, Larache and Ouazane, with low minimum temperatures ranging from 00 to 03 ° C.

The DMN said that this drop in temperature will be felt from the evening of Tuesday and persist slightly until Friday, adding that from the afternoon of Tuesday, sometimes moderate snowfall will interest the reliefs of the High and Middle Atlas, the Rif and the eastern highlands to heights greater than 1200 m.

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Winter Finally Arrives as Morocco Experiences Heavy Snow and Rain

Morocco’s National Directorate of Meteorology has released a warning saying significant snowfalls are expected today (Monday) and tomorrow, across large areas of the kingdom

According to the Met Office bulletin the snow will be the result of a cold wave and is expected to continue through to Wednesday. At the same time both the Mediterranean coast and the Atlantic coast will experience storm conditions with waves’ reaching 5-6 meters in height due to winds of between 80 and 100 kilometres per hour.

Marine traffic between the ports of Tarifa, southern Spain, and that of Tangier, wassuspended from Sunday morning until further notice due to strong winds up to 75 km / h on the Strait of Gibraltar.

Sources of the Port Authority of Algeciras Bay (APBA) indicated that the port of Tarifa was closed around 11:00 am (local time) due to weather conditions.

The same sources said that shipping companies have announced cancellations between the ports of Algeciras and Tangier Med.

Maritime traffic between the ports of Tarifa and Algeciras will be restored as soon as conditions permit

Snow and Cold

Snowfalls will effect the regions of Ifrane, Sefrou, Boulemane, Midelt, Khenifra, El Hajeb, Beni Mellal, Azilal, Al Hoceima, Chaoune, the Eastern Taourirte High Plateaux, Figuig and Jerada.

From Monday too Wednesday Boulemane, Ifrane, Azrou and Midelt can expect minimum temperatures between -9 and -1 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperatures will range between 5 and 10 degrees.

The cold wave will be experienced over a large part of the country including Fez, Meknes, Beni Mellal,  Khénifra, Azilal, Sefrou, Jerada, El Hajeb, Taza, Oujda, Khouribga, Khemisset, Al Houaz, Gurecif, Berkane, Taourirt, Al Hoceima, Taounate, Chefchaouen, Figuig, Errachidia and Ouarzazate, where minimum temperatures will range between -01 and 04 degrees Celsius. Maximum temperatures will range between 5 and 10 degrees.

Heavy rain showers are expected in the regions of Chefchaouen and Ouezzane and in the High Atlas.

While Morocco has been experiencing one of the driest years on record and rain will be welcome, there is a chance of flooding and drivers should take care on snow-covered roads.

The coming week in Fez will be particularly cold with temperatures as low as 1 degree Celsius and a high probability of heavy rain showers and storms.

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"National Sardine Day" ~ Morocco is World's Top Producer

On the occasion of the "National Day of the Sardine", Minister of Agriculture, Aziz Akhannouch, said that Morocco is in a noble position, vis-a-vis the sardine. However, others claim it is a shame that the everyday fish of coastal folks is a luxury elsewhere in the country

"With nearly 57% of national fish production, Morocco is the world leader in the production of sardines" - Aziz Akhannouch:

The marine fisheries sector has recently undergone major advances especially with the upgrade of a large number of seaports, noted Aziz Akhannouch as part of the first edition of "Day of the Sardine".

President of the Moroccan Association for Consumer Protection, Dr Bouazza Kherrati, claims that in some regions of the country, particularly in the south, sardines can cost as much as 40 dirhams a kilo. He goes on to say that events such as the "Festival of the Sardine" should be held not only in coastal towns but in the interior as well.

Morocco currently has seven wholesale markets, 22 fishing ports, 22 halls for grading industrial fish (CAPI) and well-established fishing villages 40 km apart across the entire coast of Morocco. The Minister, Aziz Akhannouch, remarked that these facilities are effective in improving the productivity and competitiveness of the fishermen. The minister also noted that nearly 50 per cent of the domestic production of sardines has a development plan that provides a sustainability structure by introducing biological rest periods, quotas and areas closed to fishing, to ensure durability and conditions for reproduction.

Sardines have always held a special place in the food habits of Moroccans in terms of their nutritional value and price that remains accessible to all segments of society, Aziz Akhannouch noted, adding that the importance of the Sardine Festival is that it helps promote the characteristics and benefits of sardines.

The vice president of the Association of Owners of fishing port of Al Hoceima, Fikri Ould Chaib, agreed with the Minister and added that this first edition of the "Festival of the Sardine" is an opportunity to showcase the product fishing in the region characterized by a variety and quality that is renowned nationally and internationally.

Calling the meeting successful event Fikri Ould Chaib added that civil society is willing to work in coordination with the supervisory department for the development of the province.

 Initiated from August 27 to 31 by the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) in the context of the implementation of the strategy to promote seafood, "Day of the Sardine" is organized simultaneously in five beaches in the Kingdom - Al-Hoceima beach (Quemado) Martil beach, Agadir Beach (Taghazout) Dakhla beach, and Mehdia. This event aims to promote domestic consumption of fresh sardines and its value to the Moroccan public as ` flagship of the national fish production and awareness of the benefits of sardines for health.

As our contribution to "Sardine Day" The View from Fez offers a Moroccan Sardine Recipe - Chermoula Sardines

2 kg fresh sardines, double filleted or "butterflied"
1 cup of  Chermoula (see recipe below)
1/2 cup flour
vegetable oil for frying
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes.

Method

Place the sardine fillets skin-side down and spread the chermoula generously over the fish. Some people also place another sardine on top, skin side up. When sardines are all covered in chermoula set them aside to marinate (in the fridge is the best place.

When you are ready to cook, coat the sardines with a sprinkling of flour and cook in vegetable oil in a pan set on medium to high. Do make sure you have enough oil in the pan to cover the entire surface.

Cook in batches until golden (four to five minutes on each side), and then place on paper towels to absorb excess oil before transferring to a serving plate.

Fried stuffed sardines can be served hot or at room temperature

Chermoula

Chermoula can be used as a great dipping sauce for flatbread, but is traditionally used as a marinade. Superb on fish but fine on any other meat - or even vegetarian tagines.

To make one cup:

1 well washed bunch of fresh coriander.
3 large cloves of garlic, peeled and squashed.
1 teaspoon each of ground cumin, coriander and paprika.
1 small red chilli (remove the seeds!)
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt.
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/4 cup of olive oil.

Blend to a rough textured paste with a food processor or mortar and pestle.

**For a marinade - add 1/2 a tablespoon of tomato paste, 3 extra tablespoons of olive oil, 2 generous pinches of good quality saffron and 1/3 of a cup of water. After coating fish or chicken in the marinade, assemble in tagine and pour remainder over entire dish.

See more Moroccan Recipes in our Cookbooks Section

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Morocco's Hoceima Mediterranean Festival - Eighth Edition

The eighth annual Mediterranean Festival of Hoceima, the Moroccan coastal city, will focus on the theme 'Culture as a Booster for Development', in the belief that culture is a prime driver of progress. 

The festival runs from August 12 through August 17 and will include many concerts, conferences and workshops.

Cheb Khaled - the king of Rai

The aim of the festival is to foster the importance of the event as a platform for tolerance and co-existence in the Mediterranean. In addition to numerous Moroccan performing artists, there will also be well-known musicians from the wider Mediterranean area, including Bilal, Bigg, and the star of the festival, Algerian king of Rai music Cheb Khaled, who will be performing songs from his latest album 'C'est la Vie...'.

There will also be international stars from France, Spain, and Georgia. ''By placing value on our local and national artists,'' the event's organisers, members of the Rif Association of Solidarity and Development (ARID), told local media, ''we can enhance our local cultural heritage and integrate it into all development strategies."

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Sixteen Royal Guards Die ~ Forty-two Injured

Sixteen royal guards have died in a bus crash after the vehicle went off a road and plummeted 650 feet, Morocco's official news agency says.

The MAP agency reported that the accident happened pre-dawn on Saturday on a road linking two cities on Morocco's northern coast.

The report said the driver lost control of the bus at a bend, and the bus overturned and fell off the road.

In addition to the deaths, 42 guards were injured, eight of them seriously, and were hospitalized in Al Hoceima, northeast of the capital, Rabat.

The king sent a messages of condolences to the families of the victims and decided to take on all the costs for the burials as well as the medical fees of those injured in the accident.

Morocco World News notes that the link between the coastal strip of Tetouan and Al Hoceima is risky because of the mountainous nature of the region. The road accidents caused by military and security forces are not very common in Morocco.

In parliamentary session last March, Morocco’s head of government, Abdelilah Benkirane, said that road accidents cost the state a heavy bill estimated at 14 billion dirhams ($ 1,7 Billion) per year, 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). He added that Morocco occupies the first rank in the Arab world, and 6th rank worldwide in road accidents.


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Morocco's Weather Turns Cold ~ Again.

The notion the Morocco is a warm and sunny destination in winter is taking a hit at the moment, with cold winds, snowfalls and plummeting temperatures in many areas of the Kingdom

Ifrane under a blanket of snow and more expected 

The Meteorological Department has issued a special bulletin covering the period from today (Wednesday) until Saturday warning that temperatures will drop as low as -10 degrees Celsius. Significant snowfalls are expected in most areas over 900 metres. This includes the Rif, the Middle Atlas and the High Atlas.

Temperatures during the day may fall to zero degrees in  areas of Ifrane, Boulemane, Sefrou, Beni Mellal, Azilal, Taza, Al Haouz, Tinghir Midelt, Khenifra and Guercif.

Temperatures of between -05 and 00 at night and 00 to 06 day  are expected in the regions of Chedchaouen, El Hajeb, El Hoceima, Khouribga, Jerada, Oujda, Figuig, Taourirt, Berkane, Taounate, Taroudant, Chichaoua and Ouarzazate.

Strong to strong winds of between 50 and 70 kmph are forecast for Wednesday in Tangier, Fahs Anjra, M'diq Fnideq, Tetouan and Larache and from 09h to 21h in areas of Jrada, Taourirt, Figuig, Boulmane, Guercif and Midelt, and on the Mediterranean coast between Berkane and Al Hoceima.

Drive with care

Driving conditions will remain hazardous for some time and drivers are cautioned to take extreme care

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