RABAT: Morocco’s King Mohammed VI urged on Tuesday the government to elaborate a new generation of reforms to ensure equal development between the country’s regions.
“It is not acceptable for Morocco – today or at any time in the future – to be a two-speed country,” the king, who has final say over the country’s strategic policies, said in an annual speech marking 26 years of his reign.
While the level of poverty has dropped in Morocco from 11.9 percent in 2014 to 6.8 percent in 2024, some inner regions show above-average poverty levels, according to the national statistics agency.
Morocco has attracted industrial investments in sectors such as aerospace and car manufacturing, which now top its exports.
However, most of the country’s GDP, industry and critical infrastructure are concentrated in the northwestern areas, leaving the rest of Morocco dependent on farming, fisheries and tourism.
“Some regions — particularly in rural areas — are still suffering from poverty and vulnerability, due to a lack of infrastructure and basic facilities,” the king said.
The new reforms should aim at improving social services, education, health care and water management as well as promoting employment, he said.
Morocco created just 82,000 jobs last year, which falls short of reducing the country’s high unemployment rate at 13.3 percent, according to the central bank.
In his speech, the king also reaffirmed Morocco’s readiness for “a frank, responsible, fraternal and sincere dialogue on the various issues pending” with Algeria.
Algeria cut ties with Morocco in 2021, halted the flow of gas, banned Moroccan flights from crossing its airspace and imposed visas on Moroccans, after the kingdom resumed ties with Israel.
The two most populous countries in the Maghreb are at loggerheads over the status of Western Sahara. Morocco considers the territory its own, while Algeria hosts and backs the Polisario Front, which seeks its own state there.
The king also thanked the UK and Portugal, the most recent Western nations to back Morocco’s autonomy plan for the territory.
![]()
Sudan’s war erupted in 2023 after tensions between the Sudanese army and the rival RSF escalated into fighting that began in Khartoum, the country’s capital, and spread nationwide. The conflict has killed thousands and triggered mass displacement, disease outbreaks and severe food insecurity. Aid workers have been frequently targeted.
The medical group said RSF shelling hit the town’s health care center on Monday, after which the paramilitary fighters assaulted medical staff and detained at least one of them.
The RSF fighters had begun their offensive on the town over the weekend with drone strikes that hit Hilal’s guesthouse. On Monday, they launched a major ground offensive and took over the town.
Emergency Lawyers, an independent group documenting atrocities in Sudan, said RSF fighters torched many houses in the town, forcing people to flee to nearby villages.
The seizure of Misteriha would likely assert RSF control of Darfur. However, it risks escalating tribal tensions in an area long known for violence and war.
Monday’s attack came four months after the RSF overran el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur after 18 months of siege. The paramilitaries killed more than 6,000 people between Oct. 25 and Oct. 27 in the city. The attack was marked by atrocities that UN-backed experts said bore ” the hallmarks of genocide.”
The war has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with over 14 million forced to flee their homes. It has fueled disease outbreaks and pushed parts of the country into famine that still spreads as fighting shows no sign of abating.
The latest report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification earlier this month warned that severe acute malnutrition, the most dangerous and deadly form of malnutrition, is expected to increase to 800,000 cases, up 4 percent from 2025.
Aid groups have long struggled to meet the growing needs of displaced people across the country and called for a ceasefire to secure aid delivery to remote areas in Darfur and Kordofan — another hotbed in the war.
“The main thing that needs to happen is, of course, a ceasefire,” said Zia Salik, interim UK director of Islamic Relief, an aid group working in Sudan. “Ultimately, that is what’s causing the pain and the difficulty for all of the civilians that are caught in the crosshairs.”
Morocco’s king calls for addressing regional inequalities
Short Url
https://arab.news/rm5cq
Morocco’s king calls for addressing regional inequalities
- King Mohammed VI said it is not acceptable for Morocco to be a 'two-speed country
Sudanese paramilitary forces kill at least 28 people in an attack in Darfur, medical group says
- At least 39 people, including 10 women, were wounded in the attack, the medical group said
- Emergency Lawyers said RSF fighters torched many houses in the town, forcing people to flee to nearby villages
CAIRO: An attack by Sudanese paramilitary forces on a stronghold of a Darfur tribal leader left at least 28 people dead, a doctors group said Tuesday, the latest in a devastating war with no resolution in sight.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on Monday rampaged through the town of Misteriha in North Darfur province, according to the Sudan Doctors Network, which tracks the country’s ongoing war.
The town is a stronghold of Arab tribal leader Musa Hilal who also hails from the Rizeigat Arab tribe as the majority of the members of the paramilitary RSF.
At least 39 people, including 10 women, were wounded in the attack, the medical group said.
There was no immediate comment from the RSF and motives for the attack were not immediately known.
Sudan’s war erupted in 2023 after tensions between the Sudanese army and the rival RSF escalated into fighting that began in Khartoum, the country’s capital, and spread nationwide. The conflict has killed thousands and triggered mass displacement, disease outbreaks and severe food insecurity. Aid workers have been frequently targeted.
The medical group said RSF shelling hit the town’s health care center on Monday, after which the paramilitary fighters assaulted medical staff and detained at least one of them.
The RSF fighters had begun their offensive on the town over the weekend with drone strikes that hit Hilal’s guesthouse. On Monday, they launched a major ground offensive and took over the town.
Emergency Lawyers, an independent group documenting atrocities in Sudan, said RSF fighters torched many houses in the town, forcing people to flee to nearby villages.
The seizure of Misteriha would likely assert RSF control of Darfur. However, it risks escalating tribal tensions in an area long known for violence and war.
Monday’s attack came four months after the RSF overran el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur after 18 months of siege. The paramilitaries killed more than 6,000 people between Oct. 25 and Oct. 27 in the city. The attack was marked by atrocities that UN-backed experts said bore ” the hallmarks of genocide.”
The war has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with over 14 million forced to flee their homes. It has fueled disease outbreaks and pushed parts of the country into famine that still spreads as fighting shows no sign of abating.
The latest report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification earlier this month warned that severe acute malnutrition, the most dangerous and deadly form of malnutrition, is expected to increase to 800,000 cases, up 4 percent from 2025.
Aid groups have long struggled to meet the growing needs of displaced people across the country and called for a ceasefire to secure aid delivery to remote areas in Darfur and Kordofan — another hotbed in the war.
“The main thing that needs to happen is, of course, a ceasefire,” said Zia Salik, interim UK director of Islamic Relief, an aid group working in Sudan. “Ultimately, that is what’s causing the pain and the difficulty for all of the civilians that are caught in the crosshairs.”
Latest updates
© 2026 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.