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Morocco Launches COVID-19 Tracking Mobile Application

A taxi driver looks on before getting tested for the coronavirus in Morocco's capital Rabat. (AFP)
A taxi driver looks on before getting tested for the coronavirus in Morocco's capital Rabat. (AFP)
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Morocco Launches COVID-19 Tracking Mobile Application

A taxi driver looks on before getting tested for the coronavirus in Morocco's capital Rabat. (AFP)
A taxi driver looks on before getting tested for the coronavirus in Morocco's capital Rabat. (AFP)

Morocco’s Ministry of Health launched on Monday a COVID-19 tracking mobile phone application to help curb the spread of the pandemic in the country.

The Wiqaytna (Our Protection) app is part of a wide national awareness campaign, under the theme: “Stay vigilant, protect each other” aiming to encourage Moroccans to continue to adopt preventive measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

The application is available on Google Play for Android phone users, on App Store for iPhone users, and on the website www.wiqaytna.ma for people using different operating systems.

It was developed as part of efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus to enhance the current system for tracking cases, which remains an effective and primary method.

The application uses Bluetooth technique to link two users when they are near each other, after which encrypted and anonymous information is shared between their smartphones.

If one of the users tests positive for COVID-19 in the 21 days following the contact, the other user will receive a notification, including a series of recommendations.

The Health Ministry developed the application in collaboration with the Interior Ministry, the Digital Development Agency (ADD), and the National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT), as well as some Moroccan companies.

The National Commission for the Control of Personal Data Protection (CNDP) tested the application to ensure it respects users’ privacy, and received its authorization. The application’s code is also available in open source on software development platforms.

On Monday, the Ministry of Health announced that 12 new coronavirus cases have been recorded, making it the lowest rate in weeks.

The country has 7,819 confirmed infections and 205 deaths.

It said 295 more patients have recovered, bringing the total to 5,754, and 18 cases were admitted to intensive care.

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Arab World

Uncertain Future for the PFLP-GC in Post-Assad Syria

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Damascus on April 18 (AP) 
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Damascus on April 18 (AP) 
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Uncertain Future for the PFLP-GC in Post-Assad Syria

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Damascus on April 18 (AP) 
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Damascus on April 18 (AP) 

The brief detention of Talal Naji, Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC), by Syrian authorities has renewed scrutiny over the status of Palestinian factions still operating in Syria, particularly those that aligned with the former Assad regime.

Naji’s arrest and swift release come amid a major political realignment following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024. Once one of the most active and heavily armed Palestinian groups in Syria, the PFLP-GC now faces an uncertain future, along with other factions that were long tolerated—or even supported—under Assad’s rule.

A well-informed Palestinian source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the new Syrian administration has appointed a figure known as Abu Abdul Rahman al-Shami to oversee the file of Palestinian factions. Since assuming the role, al-Shami has convened multiple meetings with faction representatives, including regular attendees from the PFLP-GC, to discuss the fate of their fighters, weapons, property, and military infrastructure.

According to the source, al-Shami has made it clear that the new government intends to hold accountable any individuals or groups implicated in crimes against Syrian civilians during the civil war. Palestinian factions have been instructed to surrender all weapons and military equipment, and to limit their activities to humanitarian and relief work. The PFLP-GC, the source said, has largely complied.

Despite the fall of the Assad regime, Naji and much of the PFLP-GC’s second- and third-tier leadership have remained in Syria. Its offices in Damascus reportedly continue to operate, though under heightened scrutiny. Other faction leaders, however, have fled. Among them are Khaled Abdul Majid (Popular Struggle Front), Ziyad al-Saghir (Fatah–Intifada), Mohammad al-Saeed (Liwa al-Quds), and Saed Abdel Al (Free Palestine Movement). Most are believed to have sought refuge in Lebanon.

Sources confirmed that several PFLP-GC fighters have been detained in recent weeks in connection with alleged war crimes committed during their cooperation with Assad’s forces. The Syrian government has also moved to seize faction offices and military installations across the country, including properties belonging to Fatah–Intifada, the Free Palestine Movement, and the Sa’iqa Forces. Sa’iqa’s leader, Mohammad Qais, remains in Syria.

In a further blow, authorities have reportedly frozen bank accounts belonging to some Palestinian factions, both in state and private banks, although it remains unclear whether the PFLP-GC is among them.

Additionally, it is widely believed that the PFLP-GC has handed over its military training camps, which were previously spread across Damascus countryside, Daraa, Aleppo, and Suwayda. “The situation is extremely sensitive, and everyone is anxious,” one Palestinian source told Asharq Al-Awsat. “It’s likely they’ve surrendered those sites.”

The sense of unease deepened last month when Syrian authorities detained two senior Islamic Jihad officials in Damascus: Khaled Khaled, head of the group’s Syria bureau, and Abu Ali Yasser, its chief organizational officer. Both remain in custody, and no official charges have been announced.

The current atmosphere of fear and uncertainty has driven faction leaders to avoid public comment. Most now insist on anonymity when speaking to local or international media.

Before the outbreak of the Syrian uprising in March 2011, Syria hosted more than a dozen Palestinian factions. As the conflict escalated, the Assad regime encouraged the formation of new pro-regime groups, composed largely of Palestinian refugees, to fight alongside its forces.