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Holocaust Memorial Stirs Controversy in Morocco

A view of a site which PixelHelper says was a holocaust memorial demolished by the authorities. Photo published by PixelHelper on its social media account
A view of a site which PixelHelper says was a holocaust memorial demolished by the authorities. Photo published by PixelHelper on its social media account
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Holocaust Memorial Stirs Controversy in Morocco

A view of a site which PixelHelper says was a holocaust memorial demolished by the authorities. Photo published by PixelHelper on its social media account
A view of a site which PixelHelper says was a holocaust memorial demolished by the authorities. Photo published by PixelHelper on its social media account

Moroccan authorities have demolished a holocaust memorial that has been under construction since September 2018 in Ait Faska, near Marrakesh.

The Interior Ministry denied rumors that local authorities had granted construction permits for the site which was planned to include a museum and several facilities, as well as the monument. 

The ministry explained that the reports of a holocaust memorial being built in the area are “baseless.”

“Provincial authorities have not granted any authorization for the establishment of such a project,” added the ministry in a statement.

PixelHelper, a German non-profit organization, had been preparing to launch its first project in North Africa in the village of Ait Faska. But Oliver Bienkowski, founder of PixelHelper, posted videos on his Facebook page showing authorities intervening to demolish his project, Moroccan newspapers and websites reported.

Bienkowski announced that he has been working on the Ait Faska project since September 2018, adding that it aimed to honor people who died during the holocaust. 

He expressed hope in remarks to i24 website that the memorial will strengthen the bonds of friendship between Muslim countries and Jews.

Moroccan rights activists condemned the German organization's plan, calling it an unprecedented and dangerous move.

Human rights activist Abdel Hamid Amin said in remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat that all Moroccans who condemn normalization of relations with Israel reject such a project.

“The holocaust happened in Germany and other countries,” he said.

"Morocco hasn’t witnessed any violent conflict between Muslims and Jews," he told the newspaper, saying the project had a hidden political agenda to push Morocco towards normalization of ties with Israel.

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Arab World

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.