DIPLOMACY
Besides being football giants, Morocco impacted on the globe through counter terrorism
The Kingdom of Morocco is well known for being the ultimate football destination in Africa, but also in the world. It is for this that the milestone and Centennial FIFA World Cup will hold in Morocco as well as Spain and Portugal.
Morocco which hosted many qualifying matches of other African countries in the preliminary competitions for the Africa Cup of Nations as well as that of 2022 and 2026 World Cup, will host back-to-back the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations as well as the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
As Morocco contributes to sports and healthy minds, so also is the kingdom contributing to making the world a safer place.
In the year passing by, the kingdom has contributed so much in counter-terrorism both at home and abroad.
In a world shattered, fractured and bereaved by the depth of mostly asymmetrical armed conflicts, the Kingdom of #Morocco is the only IR actor on the continent and in the world to equip itself with security, legal and operational mechanisms capable of holding back, containing and neutralizing the terrorist threat.
Indeed, from the buffer zone in the Moroccan Sahara, where #Polisario #terrorist attacks target civilians, to DR Congo, and hostage-taking in Mali, Africa remains a region heavily marked by the proliferation of terrorism. This threat results in the tragic loss of innocent lives on a daily basis, extending its impact to countries such as #Niger, #Mali, Burkina Faso, Kenya and Nigeria.
That said, the Kingdom of Morocco has countered terrorism with effective intelligence services capable of locating any terrorist leader and freeing several hostages, proving unprecedented efficiency in freeing hostages and securing its territorial integrity.
In just one year, Morocco has contributed:
- In December 2022, to the release of 63-year-old German Jörg Lange, a member of a Berlin-based humanitarian organization, who was being held hostage by a jihadist group in Mali.
- In January 2023, at the dismantling of a cell affiliated to the Islamic State organization (#EI), made up of three suspects in Spain and Morocco during a joint security operation and one of the “extremist elements” was questioned by the special forces of the Direction Générale de la Surveillance du Territoire (#DGST) in Chtouka Aït Baha.
- In March 2023, to intervention and interpellation procedures in separate and simultaneous operations, having targeted 3 individuals affiliated to Daech, aged between 19 and 28, in Souk El Arbaa du Gharb, Tétouan and Larache.
- In May 2023, to the dismantling of a Daech-affiliated terrorist cell consisting of three individuals in the north of the country.
- In May 2023, the two Moroccan cyclists, Abderrahmane Serhani and Driss Fatihi, kidnapped on April 1, 2023, by an armed group on the Niger-Burkinabe borders, were freed thanks to security coordination between Morocco and Nigeria.
- In August 2023, the release of Iulian Ghergut, a Romanian national held hostage in Burkina Faso by the Al-Qaeda affiliated group Al-Mourabitoune.
- In October 2023, to the dismantling of a terrorist group affiliated to the Islamic State that was about to attack the cities of Tangier, Tetouan and Inezgane ait melloul
- In November 2023, the President of Romania, Klaus Werner Johannis, awarded, by presidential decree dated November 6, 2023, to the Moroccan Intelligence Service, in the person of its Director General, Mr. Mohamed Yassine MANSOURI the decoration of the National Order “The Star of Romania” (rank of Grand Officer).
- In November 2023, a Moroccan drone eliminates Polisario terrorist leader Abdel Salam Ould Asouillem.
- In November 2023, Morocco arrests a man responsible for false bomb threats in Belgium.
- In December 2023, the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) arrested an extremist in Farkhana, Nador region, in collaboration with the Spanish police. This security operation was carried out jointly with the General Commissariat for Information. The BCIJ reports to the Direction Générale de la Surveillance du Territoire (DGST).
- In December 2023, to the dismantling of a cryptocurrency operation network affiliated to the Islamic State in several regions of Spain with the help of Morocco.
All in all, in the fight against terrorism, Morocco has emerged as a beacon of “coordination” and “synergy”. Like a harmonious orchestra, notable successes, such as the release of hostages and the dismantling of terrorist cells, bear witness to the collective strength in the quest for security.
This sincere, serious and collective effort strengthens Morocco’s position in the preservation of peace and stability in the world.
Morocco’s monarch, King Mohammed VI, has met with the foreign ministers of the triad that forms the Sahel States Alliance.
The alliance is a confederation formed among Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic shortly after their exit from ECOWAS following the military rule in the countries.
King Mohammed VI hosted the three foreign ministers as part of Morocco’s strong and longstanding relations with the three countries.
According to a release by the Moroccan News Agency, MAP, the relationship of Morocco with the three West African countries has always been characterised by sincere friendship, mutual respect, active solidarity, and fruitful cooperation.
The three foreign ministers expressed gratitude to Morocco for granting access for the Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean. The action, as well as the other royal initiatives, the ministers observed, are meant to promote the economic and social development of the countries of the region and their peoples.
On this, the ministers conveyed their Heads of State’s gratitude to King Mohammed VI. In attendance were Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation, and Burkinabe Nationals Abroad of Burkina Faso; Abdoulaye Diop, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Mali; and Bakary Yaou Sangaré, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Nigeriens Abroad of the Transitional Government of the Republic of Niger.
More countries are putting their weight behind Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara as France becomes the latest to do so.
In a statement released Tuesday by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs following a meeting between the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, and Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita, France reaffirmed its “unwavering” position on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara.
The statement reiterates the position expressed by President Emmanuel Macron to King Mohammed VI in his letter dated July 30, 2024, emphasizing that “for France, the present and future of Western Sahara lie within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty,” while recalling the “unwavering nature of France’s position” and its commitment to “act consistently with this position at both the national and international levels.”
Furthermore, the French Minister reiterated France’s “clear and consistent support for the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty,” describing it as “the only framework within which this issue should be resolved” and stressing that it is “the sole basis” for reaching a political solution, according to the statement.
Noting the “growing international consensus” in support of Morocco’s autonomy initiative, Jean-Noël Barrot stated that France intends to fully contribute to this momentum.
Additionally, France reaffirmed its commitment “to support Morocco’s significant efforts in promoting economic and social development” in the southern provinces of the Kingdom, highlighting the various measures taken in this regard and expressing its willingness to continue this dynamic, according to the same source.
The United States has again reaffirmed Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara. This came up in a communication by US President Donald Trump to the Moroccan monarch, King Mohammed VI.
At a meeting on Tuesday in Washington between Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the latter reiterated that “the United States recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over [the] Sahara.”
Earlier, during a phone conversation in December 2020 between His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the President of the United States, Donald Trump, the U.S. President informed the Sovereign of the issuance of a presidential proclamation, an act with undeniable legal and political weight and immediate effect, announcing the decision of the United States to recognize the full sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco over the entire Moroccan Sahara region.
The head of American diplomacy also reiterated that the U.S. “supports Morocco’s serious, credible, and realistic Autonomy Proposal as the only basis for a just and lasting solution to the dispute,” Spokesperson for the United States Department of State, Tammy Bruce, said.
Marco Rubio also reiterated that the U.S. “continues to believe that genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only feasible solution.”
In this respect, he stated that the U.S. President is “urging for the parties to engage in discussions without delay, using Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal as the only framework, to negotiate a mutually acceptable solution.”
The Secretary of State noted that “the United States would facilitate progress toward this aim,” the Spokesperson concluded.
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