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Othmani Says Morocco Is on Right Track in Fight Against Corruption

Morocco’s Prime Minister Saadeddine al-Othmani (File photo: AFP)
Morocco’s Prime Minister Saadeddine al-Othmani (File photo: AFP)
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Othmani Says Morocco Is on Right Track in Fight Against Corruption

Morocco’s Prime Minister Saadeddine al-Othmani (File photo: AFP)
Morocco’s Prime Minister Saadeddine al-Othmani (File photo: AFP)

Morocco’s moves to end corruption are contributing to the country’s development said Morocco’s Head of Government, Saad Eddine El Othmani.

“The success of the anti-corruption efforts contributes to the achievement of the expected development and to the improvement of the investment and business climate, as well as the living standards of citizens,” said Othmani, speaking at the House of Councillors in Rabat on Tuesday.

The government is “strongly committed” to fighting corruption, he said.

During the monthly accountability session, which was devoted to the results of the national strategy to fight corruption, Othmani stated that corruption is a complicated issue, but that there has been no diminution in corruption indicators in Morocco.

Morocco achieved a qualitative leap in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), by improving its standing 17 ranks and 6 points in two years, ranking 73 out of 180 countries in 2019, after it was 90 in 2017. It ranks the first among North African countries and sixth in the Arab world.

Rabat has also improved in the Doing Business report issued annually by the World Bank, by jumping seven positions in 2019 to occupy, for the first time, the rank of 53 out of 190 countries covered in the report.

Morocco is on the verge of becoming among the top 50 economies in the world.

The country maintained its top position in North Africa, the second in the Middle East and North Africa, and the third in the African continent, added Othmani.

The Prime Minister reviewed a number of measures that were taken to counter corruption, including improving and digitizing administrative operations, as well as reducing bureaucracy in various fields to increase the level of transparency and integrity.

Consultants said that most of the policies and measures taken by the government to fight corruption are important, yet have limited and weak impact.

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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.