Morocco Partially Reshuffles Government

Photo of King Mohammed VI and members of the government (MAP)
Photo of King Mohammed VI and members of the government (MAP)
TT

Morocco Partially Reshuffles Government

Photo of King Mohammed VI and members of the government (MAP)
Photo of King Mohammed VI and members of the government (MAP)

Morocco saw this week a partial cabinet reshuffle, official sources announced.

The ministers of education, higher education, agriculture, health, and transport and logistics were changed, but several key figures retained their posts, including the ministers of interior, foreign affairs, justice and religion, according to Reuters.

Amine Tahraoui was appointed Health Minister, replacing Khalid Ait Taleb while Azzedine El Midaoui is now the new Minister of Higher Education, replacing Abdelatif Miraoui.

Mohamed Saad Berrada replaced Chakib Benmoussa as the new Minister of Education. Benmoussa was appointed last week to lead the High Commission for Planning (HCP)—a pivotal governmental body responsible for shaping national development policies.

Also, Ahmed Bouari will replace Mohamed Sadiki as Minister of Agriculture, while Naima Ben Yahia will replace Aawatif Hayar as Minister of Solidarity and Family.

The reshuffle included the appointment of Amal El Fallah Seghrouchni as the country’s minister Delegate to the Head of Government in Charge of Digital Transition to replace Ghita Mezzour.

Also, six new secretaries of State were appointed while Abdessamad Kayouh will take on the Ministry of Transport and Logistics.

The Moroccan official news agency, MAP, said that King Mohammed VI met on Wednesday with Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch and members of the government in its new form following the reshuffle.

The new ministers were then sworn in before the King.



Trump Designates Yemen's Houthis as Foreign Terrorist Organization

Houthi supporters shout slogans while holding their weapons and pictures of Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi during a pro-Palestinian rally following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, in Sanaa, Yemen, 17 January 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi supporters shout slogans while holding their weapons and pictures of Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi during a pro-Palestinian rally following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, in Sanaa, Yemen, 17 January 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
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Trump Designates Yemen's Houthis as Foreign Terrorist Organization

Houthi supporters shout slogans while holding their weapons and pictures of Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi during a pro-Palestinian rally following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, in Sanaa, Yemen, 17 January 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi supporters shout slogans while holding their weapons and pictures of Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi during a pro-Palestinian rally following the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, in Sanaa, Yemen, 17 January 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday re-designated Yemen's Houthi militias as a "foreign terrorist organization,” the White House said.

The move will impose harsher economic penalties than the Biden administration had applied to the Iran-backed group in response to its attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and against US warships defending the critical maritime chokepoint.

"The Houthis' activities threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade," the White House said in a statement.

The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships plying the Red Sea since November 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. They have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers.

The attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa for more than a year.
The group has targeted the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which are joined by the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait, a chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.