Maghreb Arab Press Founder Dies

The founder and first director of Morocco's MAP news agency, Mehdi Bennouna, died at the age of 92 early Tuesday in Rabat after a long illness, his family reported.



Mehdi Bennouna was buried on Tuesday evening in the northern city of Tetuan.

The late Benouna took up in 1958-1959 as advisor to the Late king Mohammed V in charge of the press and public relations.

He obtained a diploma in journalism from Egypt in 1941 and worked as journalist in the "Al Ahram" daily until 1944. During his stay in Cairo, he took part in setting up the Almaghreb Al Aqsa Defense Committee. He returned to Morocco in 1944 to work as a teacher, and participated in the creation of the workers’ trade union.
In the UN, he founded the liaison office of independence movements of North African countries (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia).

In 1959, Mehdi Bennouna launched Morocco’s MAP news agency, which he headed till 1975.

HM King Mohammed VI sent a condolence message to the family of late Mehdi Bennouna and in his message expressed his heartfelt condolences and sincere compassion in this hard ordeal.

The death of late Mehdi Bennouna is a painful loss not only for his family, but also for his homeland Morocco, the sovereign underlined, lamenting the passing on of such pioneering activist of the national movement in the Kingdom.

M Bennouna devoted his life to the struggle for independence, emancipation and the recovery of national sovereignty and legitimacy, the monarch said.

The late Mehdi Bennouna selflessly endeavored to build the Morocco of unity, progress and democracy, under the reign of late kings Mohammed V and Hassan II, and set an example to follow in terms of loyalty and attachment to the nation's sacred values, HM the King said.

The View From Fez would like to extend its condolences to the family of Mehdi Bennouna.