Morocco’s King Sets Post-Pandemic Economic, Social Priorities

Morocco's King Mohammed VI arrives for a lunch at the Elysee Palace as part of the One Planet Summit in Paris, France, December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
Morocco's King Mohammed VI arrives for a lunch at the Elysee Palace as part of the One Planet Summit in Paris, France, December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
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Morocco’s King Sets Post-Pandemic Economic, Social Priorities

Morocco's King Mohammed VI arrives for a lunch at the Elysee Palace as part of the One Planet Summit in Paris, France, December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
Morocco's King Mohammed VI arrives for a lunch at the Elysee Palace as part of the One Planet Summit in Paris, France, December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has urged the government and economic and social actors to rearrange priories and to lay foundations for a strong and competitive economy for the post-COVID-19 recovery.

He also stressed Thursday the significance of launching an ambitious plan to revive the economy in a way that enables productive sectors to recover.

In his speech on the occasion of the 21st anniversary of his accession to the throne, he announced that “some MAD120 billion (USD12 billion) will be injected into the national economy, representing 11 percent of our GDP – a proportion that will place Morocco at the forefront of the most enterprising countries in terms of post-crisis stimulus packages.

“I have also decided that a strategic investment fund should be set up to stimulate productive activities and support major public-private investment projects in various sectors.”

He added: “To ensure the success of this plan, I call on the government and on economic and social actors to be effectively engaged in this endeavor.”

Further, King Mohammed VI stated that “similarly, a sweeping reform of the civil service should be expedited, and the structural deficiencies of public institutions and state enterprises should be addressed to achieve optimal integration and increase these institutions’ economic and social effectiveness.

“To this end, I call for the creation of a national agency to be tasked with ensuring the strategic management of state contributions and assessing the performance of public institutions.”

On the coronavirus pandemic, Morocco’s King said: “I want you to know that I care as much about the Moroccan citizens’ health and the safety of their family members as I do about my own children and my smaller family – even more so in the difficult times Morocco and the world are going through today as a result of the COVID -19 pandemic.”

He saluted the spirit of solidarity and responsibility shown by citizens. He also hailed “the sense of discipline, the level of awareness and the responsiveness shown by the citizens and by all the nation’s forces during this past period.”

Addressing citizens, he said: “I am aware of the magnitude of the adverse effects this crisis has had, not just on public health, but also at social and economic levels. It has affected all the productive sectors. Family incomes and the state budget have also been severely impacted. I am heartened to see that this initiative has been spontaneously embraced and that it continues to be actively supported.”

Furthermore, he declared that an amount of MAD5 billion (more than USD500 million) will be allocated to the Central Guarantee Fund to boost the economy.

“Our action is not limited to simply facing up to the current epidemic. We also aim to address its social and economic effects by building on a comprehensive, future-oriented approach and by drawing lessons from this experience.

“Even though this crisis has shown that social bonds in our country are solid and that solidarity between Moroccans is a fact of life, it has also revealed a number of shortcomings, especially in the social field,” he added.

King Mohammed VI went on saying, “This project needs to be implemented gradually, as of January 2021, using a well-thought-out plan, starting with compulsory health coverage and family allowances, then moving on to pension and unemployment benefits.

“Such a plan requires tangible reform of current social protection systems and programs in order to increase their direct impact on beneficiaries, especially through the rolling-out of the national social register.”

He added that it was time to launch a decisive process for the expansion of social welfare coverage to all Moroccans within the next five years.



Drone Strike Targets Port Sudan Naval Base 

A view shows a large plume of smoke and fire rising from fuel depot in Port Sudan, Sudan, May 6, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows a large plume of smoke and fire rising from fuel depot in Port Sudan, Sudan, May 6, 2025. (Reuters)
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Drone Strike Targets Port Sudan Naval Base 

A view shows a large plume of smoke and fire rising from fuel depot in Port Sudan, Sudan, May 6, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows a large plume of smoke and fire rising from fuel depot in Port Sudan, Sudan, May 6, 2025. (Reuters)

A drone strike targeted Sudan's biggest naval base on Wednesday, an army source told AFP, marking the fourth straight day the seat of the army-backed government has come under attack.

It comes a day after the government severed ties with the United Arab Emirates, which it accuses of supplying rival paramilitaries with weapons used to attack the army.

Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast had been a safe haven, hosting hundreds of thousands of displaced people and United Nations offices, until Sunday when drone strikes blamed on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries began.

Wednesday's drone strikes "were met with anti-aircraft missiles", the army source said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

An AFP correspondent reported a series of explosions from the direction of the Flamingo Base, just north of the city.

Later Wednesday, residents reported air defenses in action against drones circling above the city.

War has raged since April 2023 between Sudan's regular armed forces and the RSF.

- 'Major escalation' -

Nearly 600 kilometers (375 miles) further south, "three drones attempted to strike airport facilities" in the army-held eastern city of Kassala on Wednesday, near the border with Eritrea, a security source said.

Witnesses told AFP they heard explosions from anti-aircraft missiles west of the city, which has also come under repeated attack this week.

In the city of Merowe in Northern state, around 420 kilometers from Khartoum, residents reported drones overhead being intercepted by anti-aircraft fire.

Nationwide, the war has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted 13 million.

It has also effectively split Sudan in two, with the army controlling the center, north and east, while the RSF holds nearly all of Darfur in the west and parts of the south.

The RSF has not directly commented on this week's attacks on Port Sudan, about 650 kilometers from its nearest known positions on the outskirts of the capital.

A spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called the drone strikes a "major escalation (that) could lead to large-scale civilian casualties and further destruction of critical infrastructure".

Port Sudan is the main entry point for humanitarian aid into Sudan, and Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the attacks "threaten to increase humanitarian needs and further complicate aid operations in the country".

Famine has been declared in some areas in Sudan and nearly 25 million people are suffering dire food insecurity.

The UN also has warned of more "human suffering in what is already the world's largest humanitarian crisis".

- 'Advanced weaponry' -

French medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Wednesday its services in the northern River Nile state have been disrupted after drone attacks targeted a power plant in state capital Atbara.

The attacks caused a major power outage and affected the city's water treatment plant, disrupting access to clean water and risking a surge in waterborne diseases such as cholera, MSF said.

The attacks also scaled down production at the state's oxygen concentration factory, which provides health facilities with oxygen tanks.

MSF said such attacks on infrastructure "have a devastating impact on the health of the local communities" and harm "an already overburdened health system".

The drone campaign comes after the RSF in March lost control of nearly all of greater Khartoum.

The army-backed foreign ministry described the attack on Port Sudan as "a full-fledged crime of aggression", which it said was carried out with "strategic drones and advanced weaponry".

Sudan has accused the UAE of supplying the RSF with the weapons it has used to strike Port Sudan.

The UAE has repeatedly denied arming the RSF.

On Wednesday, it rejected the severing of ties, saying the decision was made by an administration that "does not represent the legitimate government of Sudan".