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Morocco Breaks up Terror Cell in Tangier

Defendants who are on trial for the killing of Scandinavian tourists Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland arrive at a criminal court in Sale, Morocco May 2, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer
Defendants who are on trial for the killing of Scandinavian tourists Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland arrive at a criminal court in Sale, Morocco May 2, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer
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Morocco Breaks up Terror Cell in Tangier

Defendants who are on trial for the killing of Scandinavian tourists Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland arrive at a criminal court in Sale, Morocco May 2, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer
Defendants who are on trial for the killing of Scandinavian tourists Louisa Vesterager Jespersen and Maren Ueland arrive at a criminal court in Sale, Morocco May 2, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer

The Moroccan Central Bureau of Forensic Investigations (BCIJ) has broken up a suspected terrorist cell in the northern city of Tangier.

"A terrorist cell consisting of eight extremists from the city of Tangier, aged between 20 and 31, has been neutralized,” the BCIJ said.

Among the detainees is a man whose brothers have fought alongside ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria, it added.

During the operation, the security forces seized several electronic devices, bladed weapons, a piece of black fabric symbolizing the ISIS flag, military uniform and two underwater firearms.

The detainees are suspected of spreading ISIS propaganda.

According to the same source, this security operation was part of continued efforts to preserve Morocco’s security and stability.

The statement added that the suspects were kept in custody while investigations are ongoing to arrest other accomplices.

A week ago, Morocco was internationally recognized for its effective and successful strategies in combating terrorism and its funding, revealed Dr. Jawhar Nfissi, the head of the Moroccan Financial Intelligence Unit.

Nfissi chaired the delegation representing the kingdom at the MENAFATF 29th Plenary Meeting & Meetings.

The meeting was held in Amman on April 23-25 and was attended by representatives of member states of MENAFATF (21), international observers, representatives of the World Bank and the UN, experts from the US, UK, France, Germany, Australia, and Spain, and experts from the international organizations in money laundering and terrorism financing.

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Sudanese Stakeholders Hold Roundtable Talks in Geneva

A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)
A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)
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Sudanese Stakeholders Hold Roundtable Talks in Geneva

A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)
A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)

Geneva has hosted a third “roundtable” of meetings involving Sudanese political and civil groups aimed at bridging the gap between the country’s warring parties. These talks, coordinated by the French organization Promediation, follow similar meetings held previously in Cairo and Geneva. The primary goals are to negotiate a ceasefire and facilitate humanitarian aid to civilians.

The two-day meetings, which began on Monday, include representatives from the Coordination of Democratic Civil Forces (Tagadum), the pro-army Democratic Bloc coalition, and armed movements aligned with the bloc. However, some groups have announced their boycott of the meetings.

The Democratic Bloc has shown conflicting stances on attending the Geneva talks. Mohammed Zakaria, spokesperson for the bloc and a member of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), announced his group’s decision not to participate.

Omar Khalafallah, a leader in the Democratic Unionist Party and another bloc spokesperson, refuted Zakaria’s statement, insisting that the bloc would attend the meetings to promote a national vision.

A source within the Democratic Bloc told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meetings revealed significant internal divisions in the coalition. The JEM, led by current Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim, appears to be charting its own course, which the source described as a form of defection.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Sharif Mohammed Osman, a leader in Tagadum and the political secretary of the Sudanese Congress Party, explained that the meetings seek to achieve consensus on ending the war through negotiated solutions, starting with a humanitarian truce to ensure aid delivery and the opening of safe corridors.

These measures are considered preliminary steps toward a ceasefire and a peaceful resolution to the conflict, he underlined.

A wide array of civilian leaders are participating in the talks, including key figures from Tagadum, such as Sudanese Congress Party leader Omar Al-Dukair, Federal Gathering Party leader Babiker Faisal, and head of the Sudan Liberation Movement – Transitional Council Al-Hadi Idris.

Osman expressed optimism that the participants would issue a unified final statement addressing the peaceful resolution of the war and agreeing on a humanitarian truce to facilitate aid delivery.

In October, Cairo hosted a similar meeting, which resulted in a final statement signed by the participating groups, except for the Sudan Liberation Movement – Minni Minnawi faction and the JEM – Jibril Ibrahim faction, which refused to endorse the Cairo declaration despite attending the discussions.

Promediation, a French organization supported by the French and Swiss foreign ministries, has played a consistent role in Sudanese affairs. Since June 2022, it has organized roundtable discussions, initially focusing on negotiations between Darfuri armed movements before expanding its scope to include Sudanese political and civil forces in the wake of the war.