Morocco's King Says Determined to React Against Any Security Threat

Morocco's King Mohammed VI (C), flanked by his brother Prince Moulay Rachid (R) and son Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, speaks to the nation, last July. (AFP)
Morocco's King Mohammed VI (C), flanked by his brother Prince Moulay Rachid (R) and son Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, speaks to the nation, last July. (AFP)
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Morocco's King Says Determined to React Against Any Security Threat

Morocco's King Mohammed VI (C), flanked by his brother Prince Moulay Rachid (R) and son Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, speaks to the nation, last July. (AFP)
Morocco's King Mohammed VI (C), flanked by his brother Prince Moulay Rachid (R) and son Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, speaks to the nation, last July. (AFP)

Morocco's King Mohammed VI warned Monday that his country will respond in self-defense against any threat to his country's security. This came during a phone conversation the King held with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres over the situation in Guerguerat.

King Mohammed stressed that Morocco will take necessary measures to keep order and protect safety and fluidity of passenger and commercial traffic in border area between Morocco and Mauritania.

Morocco, however, also remains "firmly determined to react, with the greatest severity, and in self-defense, against any threat to its security,” the king said, quoted in an official statement.

"Morocco took its responsibility in line with its legitimate right after the UN Secretary-General failed in its laudable attempts to end the unacceptable acts of the Polisario," he noted.

Morocco will continue supporting UN efforts to find a political solution on the basis of clear criteria and with the participation of real parties to this regional conflict in order to find a realistic, feasible solution within Morocco’s sovereignty, he added.

“Morocco restored the situation, proceeded to a lasting settlement of the problem and guaranteed resumption of traffic flow.”

For its part, the Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed support to Morocco in a tweet.

“The government of the Federal Republic of Somalia stands alongside the brotherly Kingdom of Morocco in all the measures it undertakes to protect its security and sovereignty over its territories at the Guerguerat crossing point between Morocco and Mauritania.”

Also, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Gambia issued a press release on Monday to hail Morocco’s “peaceful and decisive intervention” to secure the region after Polisario and its supporters staged illegal protests in the region.

The West African country also said it supports the UN-led political process to find a political solution to the Western Sahara conflict.

Moreover, President of the Pan-African Parliament Roger Nkodo Dang has sent a letter to the African Union foreign ministers to draw their attention to the maneuvers of the 3rd Vice President of the PAP Jamal Bouras against the interests of the Kingdom of Morocco.

The authoritarian abuses of Bouras, who acts as the president without rotation, have created a serious institutional and functional crisis within the Pan-African Parliament, Dang underlined in the letter.

The president, blocked in Cameroon, stressed that all decisions, declarations, and actions taken outside what is provided for by the texts in force, cannot be considered as reflecting the position of the PAP or its legitimate bodies.



Maritime Security Firms Launch Mission to Save Crew of Greek Vessel Hit by Houthis

The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C is seen near Cathlamet, Oregon, July 23, 2019. (Mike Cullom via AP)
The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C is seen near Cathlamet, Oregon, July 23, 2019. (Mike Cullom via AP)
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Maritime Security Firms Launch Mission to Save Crew of Greek Vessel Hit by Houthis

The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C is seen near Cathlamet, Oregon, July 23, 2019. (Mike Cullom via AP)
The Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C is seen near Cathlamet, Oregon, July 23, 2019. (Mike Cullom via AP)

Maritime security firms launched a mission on Wednesday to evacuate the crew of the Greek-operated Eternity C vessel hit by Houthi militants off Yemen two days ago, sources close to the mission told Reuters.

Eternity C, with 22 crew members - 21 Filipinos and one Russian - on board, was attacked with sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades fired from manned speed boats in the Red Sea on Monday, the second assault by the Houthis in a day after months of calm.

The attack killed three mariners and wounded two others, a European Union naval force said Tuesday. It follows the Iranian-backed Houthis attacking another vessel, the bulk carrier Magic Seas, on Sunday in the Red Sea that they said subsequently sank.

The assaults are the first Houthi attacks on shipping since late 2024 on the waterway that had begun to see more ships pass through in recent weeks.

The United Nations condemned the Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and called on the militias to comply with UN Security Council resolutions demanding an immediate halt to all attacks.

“We continue to be very worried and concerned about the escalation that we’re seeing,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.