Hundreds of migrants swim from Morocco to Spanish enclave of Ceuta

Moroccan activists warn of an intensifying crackdown on regime critics after the arrest of a journalist and a rapper.A prominent Moroccan journalist and government critic has been released from police custody three days after his arrest over defamation charges, the public prosecutor has said.Ali Lmrabet, a 66-year-old leading figure in Morocco’s independent press, was arrested at Tangier airport on Sunday after arriving from Spain, where has been based for years. He was released on Wednesday after public pressure for his release from several media rights groups, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Gen Z protesters rally across Morocco demanding health, education reformslist 2 of 3Two killed, hundreds arrested in Morocco protests rocking the nationlist 3 of 3Morocco king calls for social reforms amid youth-led protestsend of list“I only practice journalism. I don’t engage in politics,” he told RSF after his release. “The fact that I practice independent journalism seems to bother a lot of people.”An investigation against Lmrabet remains open, according to the public prosecutor, who said the journalist is being probed over “defamatory and insulting remarks against individuals and institutions”.RSF welcomed his release and called on Moroccan authorities to dismiss the case against him. It remains unclear whether Lmrabet is now allowed to leave the country.Lmrabet previously published weekly publications Demain Magazine and the Arabic-language Doumane in Morocco before both were banned in 2003 after he was convicted of insulting the king, among other charges.He was then sentenced to three years in prison but was released in early 2004 under a royal pardon. Lmrabet was later banned from working in journalism in Morocco between April 2005 and April 2015 after being convicted of defamation over comments on displaced people from Western Sahara, an area largely controlled by Morocco but disputed by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front.Mehdi El Youbi was arrested in Morocco, days after being barred from returning to Marseille, France, where he’s been based since 2017 [Courtesy of supporters of Mehdi El Youbi]Meanwhile, outspoken rapper and filmmaker Mehdi El Youbi was brought before a court in Casablanca on Wednesday, despite not having a lawyer present due to a lawyers’ strike in Morocco, his supporters said.El Youbi was arrested on Monday night in Casablanca after being barred from returning to France, where he’s been based since 2017. His friends and family believe his arrest is linked to his politically-engaged lyrics and social media posts. They warned of an escalating crackdown on regime critics in Morocco following the emergence nationwide Gen Z protest movement last year.“We cannot treat this escalation as business as usual,” the Association of Maghrebi Workers in France said in a statement on Wednesday. ‘We cannot get used to arrests. We cannot consider repression a normal form of governance.”

Morocco were eliminated from the 2026 World Cup by a 2-0 defeat by France in the quarterfinals, but host next edition.Morocco proved unable to emulate their semifinal heroics of the last World Cup, again running into a French roadblock as they lost in the last eight on Thursday, but as cohosts of ⁠the next tournament will begin to reset their sights on the trophy.They had been beaten by France in the semifinal in Qatar four years ago and this time were again outplayed in the 2-0 win for Les Bleus in Boston.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4VIDEO: France ends Morocco’s World Cup run, cruises into semifinalslist 2 of 4England vs Norway: Key talking points ahead of World Cup quarterfinallist 3 of 4‘Unstoppable force’: Mbappe’s France crush Morocco’s World Cup dreamslist 4 of 4Norway change World Cup team hotel in Miami days before England showdownend of listMorocco’s performances at the ⁠expanded 48-team tournament, however, can be judged a success, becoming the first African nation to reach successive quarterfinals, eliminating the Netherlands and giving Brazil a scare in their opening game of the finals in Canada, Mexico and the US.There had been some doubts about how they might fare given a coaching change just three months before the finals, but Mohamed Ouahbi made a seamless transition into the senior coach role from the ‌junior ranks after leading Morocco to last year’s U-20 World Cup title.Morocco will now look to the next World Cup with special attention – they will be cohosting the 2030 finals with Portugal and Spain and are therefore already qualified.“We have a young team who want to grow, who will continue to do so. We have talented players who will enable us to grow,” Ouahbi said after Thursday’s game.It would be normal to presume Morocco would stick with their coach and give him time to improve his side, with winning the next World Cup as their target.But Ouahbi will have to negotiate two Africa Cup of Nations finals ⁠in 2027 and 2028 before then and will be only too aware of the tenuous nature of ⁠coaching in Africa, where tournament failure invariably leads to change.His predecessor, Walid Regragui, was hounded out by Morocco fans after failing to win the Cup of Nations final against Senegal in Morocco’s capital, Rabat, in January.“We need to first qualify for the Cup of Nations and to win it. We need to take a ⁠step back and to see to it that we have a team that can make and generate dreams in the future. And win titles to ensure we’re on the right track,” added Ouahbi.Morocco ⁠has a poor record in the Cup of Nations, despite its top ranking on ⁠the continent. They had won a single African championship in 1976 before being handed the 2025 title after Senegal were stripped of the trophy for walking-off during the final. That decision is being appealed and could be reversed.Morocco will next be in action in September when the Cup of Nations qualifiers get underway. They have ‌Gabon, Lesotho and Niger in their group, in what looks like a routine assignment.But if they have any hope of 2030 World Cup success, they will need to have a tougher diet of opponents to fine-tune their chances.“Of course, the Cup of Nations is not the ‌World ‌Cup. This is a different type of competition, with opponents that have different styles of play,” the coach said.“So, when you’re not used to playing these types of styles, when you’re not prepared for a World Cup, you can get eliminated very quickly.”

France beat Morocco 2-0 in quartetfinals at FIFA World Cup 2026 and will meet Spain or Belgium next.Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele were on target as France surged past Morocco 2-0 to book their place in the World Cup semi-finals.Mbappe curled in his eighth goal of the tournament on 60 minutes on Thursday before Dembele doubled Les Bleus’ lead six minutes later to settle a clinical victory at the Gillette Stadium outside Boston.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4England’s Quansah banned for two matches after red card against Mexicolist 2 of 4FIFA World Cup 2026: Ranking the eight quarterfinalists’ chances of glorylist 3 of 4FIFA World Cup 2026: What happened to the beautiful game?list 4 of 4VIDEO: World Cup Preview: Morocco plays France in quarterfinal openerend of listThe win sends the 2018 champions into a last-four showdown against either Spain or Belgium in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday.African champions Morocco had been tipped to pose a serious threat to France’s hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final.But Didier Deschamps’ men were always in control against a limited Morocco side who failed to register a single shot on goal until an 83rd minute free-kick by Azzedine Ounahi was parried away by France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.France though struggled to find a breakthrough, and missed the opportunity to take the lead on 28 minutes when Mbappe saw a penalty saved by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.Mbappe had won the penalty after being brought down by Noussair Mazraoui but was forced to wait several minutes before being allowed to take the kick after a protracted VAR check.Morocco managed to hold out to half-time but it was always only a matter of time before France’s relentless pressure paid off.The breakthrough came on the hour mark, with Mbappe bending a brilliant right-foot shot past Bounou from the edge of the area.Paris Saint-Germain star Dembele made the game safe in the 66th minute, striding forward menacingly from midfield before steering a low finish into the bottom corner.France now await the winner of Friday’s quarter-final in Los Angeles between European champions Spain and Belgium.

Police arrest 10 suspects, seizing bladed weapons, military-style clothes and bomb‑making instructions.Morocco says it has arrested 10 members of a cell linked to the ISIL affiliate in Sahel Province (ISSP), foiling a planned attack.The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations, Morocco’s chief agency responsible for counterterrorism operations, said on Monday that as well as seizing the suspects, simultaneous raids across several Moroccan cities had found bladed weapons, military-style clothing, bomb‑making instructions, digital material and chemicals, as well as a car suspected to have been modified for use in a bombing or ramming attack.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3ISIL claims responsibility for Niger airport attacklist 2 of 3Are ‘low-cost, high-impact’ drones making Sahel fighters tougher to beat?list 3 of 3Mali’s army says rebels launch new attacks on towns and citiesend of listA warehouse used by the cell held butane gas cylinders and pressure cookers filled with nails and electrically wired.Police said the group’s plans were “in an advanced stage of preparation”.The last attack by an ISIL-affiliated group on Moroccan soil occurred in 2023, when three men killed a policeman in Casablanca.Recent years have seen a surge of activity by fighter groups affiliated with ISIL and al-Qaeda across the Sahel region and West Africa.In nearby Mali, al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) exploited a vacuum created by a collapse in government control to seize towns and cities, even besieging the capital in November.Neighbouring Mauritania has also been facing cross-border attacks by affiliated fighter groups along its border with Mali.ISIL and al-Qaeda affiliates have also expanded their presence in Burkina Faso and Niger.While Morocco has largely been spared from regional violence, authorities say 130 citizens have been recruited by the ISSP in recent years.