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Morocco to Impose Night Curfew during Ramadan

FILE PHOTO: Police officers patrol streets, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, on the outskirts of Casablanca, Morocco March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal
FILE PHOTO: Police officers patrol streets, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, on the outskirts of Casablanca, Morocco March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal
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Morocco to Impose Night Curfew during Ramadan

FILE PHOTO: Police officers patrol streets, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, on the outskirts of Casablanca, Morocco March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal
FILE PHOTO: Police officers patrol streets, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, on the outskirts of Casablanca, Morocco March 25, 2020. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal

Moroccan authorities decided Wednesday to impose a night-time curfew during the holy month of Ramadan as a precautionary measure following the recent rise in COVID-19 cases

According to a government statement, the nationwide night curfew will be implemented from 8 pm to 6 am, starting from the first day of Ramadan.

Moroccans voiced anger over the decision, which sparked a debate over canceling the Tarawih prayers. The government did not make a final decision regarding the issue since the Supreme Scientific Council, the country’s official religious body, is responsible for such decisions.

According to sources, the government called on the council to issue a Fatwa to cancel Tarawih prayers, given the recent developments of the country's epidemiological situation. The council is expected to issue a final decision soon.

However, all current indicators point that evening mosque prayers will be banned again this year to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Moroccan Prime Minister Saad-Eddine El Othmani said earlier that the epidemiological situation in Morocco has seen some worrying new developments, including an increase in the number of cases of the new Covid-19 strain, an increase in the number of critical cases, as well as “the challenge of obtaining new vaccine doses.”

Also, Minister of Health Khalid Ait Taleb said that there has been “an increase in the number of new infections, especially in the Casablanca-Settat region,” with the number of cases there constituting 50 percent of the total cases currently recorded at the national level.

The number of cases of the new Covid-19 strain also witnessed a significant increase, reaching 73 cases, according to the latest figures disclosed by the Ministry of Health.

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Arab World

Burhan Rejects Ceasefire Before RSF Surrender as Drone Strike Hits Power Station in Northern Sudan

Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan attends a group iftar with members of the community police in the final days of Ramadan. (Sudanese Armed Forces – Facebook).
Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan attends a group iftar with members of the community police in the final days of Ramadan. (Sudanese Armed Forces – Facebook).
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Burhan Rejects Ceasefire Before RSF Surrender as Drone Strike Hits Power Station in Northern Sudan

Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan attends a group iftar with members of the community police in the final days of Ramadan. (Sudanese Armed Forces – Facebook).
Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan attends a group iftar with members of the community police in the final days of Ramadan. (Sudanese Armed Forces – Facebook).

A drone attack blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) struck the town of Al-Dabba in northern Sudan, targeting a power station and the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Dongola, officials said Friday. The strike cut electricity to the town and left at least three people injured.

The attack came hours after Sudan’s army chief and head of the Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan reiterated his rejection of any ceasefire and vowed to continue fighting until the RSF surrenders.

In an Eid al-Fitr address on Thursday evening, al-Burhan said there would be “no truce” unless the RSF withdrew and regrouped under a comprehensive peace plan leading to a permanent settlement, with no armed actors remaining outside state control.

He added that Sudan’s leadership remained open to peace initiatives that meet security requirements and prevent a return to war.

Al-Burhan accused the RSF of committing war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity, and said any future political process must dismantle the group’s role in Sudan.

He also pledged to “purge” the country of what he described as the “Dagalo militia,” referring to RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, and to rebuild state institutions while advancing civilian governance and peaceful transfer of power.

Al-Burhan last year proposed a UN-backed initiative requiring RSF forces to withdraw to agreed locations in Darfur before negotiations begin. The proposal ran parallel to a plan by the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt calling for a three-month humanitarian truce and a transition to a civilian-led government.

Shortly after his speech, RSF drones struck Al-Dabba, a strategic town in Northern State along the Nile. Local official Mohamed Saber, head of the area’s security committee, said the attack took place early Friday, the first day of Eid al-Fitr, and targeted civilian infrastructure, including the engineering faculty.

He said three people were wounded but did not disclose their condition, accusing the RSF of deliberately targeting civilian sites “to spread fear among unarmed residents.”

According to the official, Sudanese army air defenses intercepted some of the drones, and military and allied forces remain on alert to repel further attacks.

The RSF did not immediately comment on the strike. It has previously said its drones target military positions or civilian sites used by the army and its allies.

Friday’s attack was not the first on Al-Dabba. In October 2025, RSF drones struck the town, killing five people and injuring others.

Al-Dabba, home to tens of thousands, is a key commercial and agricultural hub linking northern, western and eastern Sudan.

Arab World

Report: UN Chief Says He Is Cooperating with Trump’s Board of Peace on Gaza

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres looks on after a family picture during the EU Summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on March 19, 2026. (AFP)
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres looks on after a family picture during the EU Summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on March 19, 2026. (AFP)
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Report: UN Chief Says He Is Cooperating with Trump’s Board of Peace on Gaza

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres looks on after a family picture during the EU Summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on March 19, 2026. (AFP)
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres looks on after a family picture during the EU Summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on March 19, 2026. (AFP)

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres welcomed the aim of Donald Trump's Board of Peace to fund and deliver the basics of a Gaza reconstruction plan to rebuild Palestinian homes and infrastructure, Politico reported on Saturday.

“There is an objective there that ‌was defined, ‌approved by the Security Council, ‌and ⁠we are cooperating ⁠actively with structures created by the Board of Peace,” Guterres told the news outlet in an interview.

Guterres saw no need for the board beyond Gaza's reconstruction. “This ⁠is not the effective way ‌to address ‌the dramatic problems that we have now,” he said.

“We need to be ‌clear about international law, to be clear about the values of the Charter of the United Nations. That is ‌essential in any peace initiative.”

He also called for an end to ⁠Iran's ⁠closure of the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the UN could help protect the waterway and be part of a plan to de-escalate attacks.

Guterres said he had not spoken with Trump since the start of the war, although he has spoken to others in the administration.

Arab World

Israel Says Targeting Hezbollah in Beirut as South Lebanon Struck

Debris cover the site of Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV headquarters after it was hit in an Israeli airstrike on Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP)
Debris cover the site of Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV headquarters after it was hit in an Israeli airstrike on Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP)
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Israel Says Targeting Hezbollah in Beirut as South Lebanon Struck

Debris cover the site of Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV headquarters after it was hit in an Israeli airstrike on Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP)
Debris cover the site of Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV headquarters after it was hit in an Israeli airstrike on Dahieh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP)

The Israeli military said it launched a wave of strikes on Beirut claiming to target the Iran-backed group Hezbollah early Saturday, while Lebanese state media reported strikes in the country's south.

Lebanon was pulled into the Middle East war when Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Israel has since launched strikes across Lebanon and sent ground troops into the country's south.

In a brief statement on Saturday, the Israeli military said its forces were "currently striking Hezbollah terrorist organization targets in Beirut".

A military spokesman earlier issued a warning to residents of Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, to evacuate ahead of strikes.

Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) reported strikes on two neighborhoods in the area, without immediately saying what had been hit or whether there were any casualties.

In southern Lebanon, close to the border, the NNA said an Israeli airstrike hit a house in the town of Ghandouriyeh, killing at least one person and wounding two others.

The agency reported more strikes overnight and in the early morning on several areas of southern Lebanon, as well as an "extensive combing operation" carried out by Israeli troops in the area of Khiam town.

Hezbollah also said its fighters had targeted Israeli troops in six villages in southern Lebanon.

The group said it had also launched rockets across the border, where air raid sirens were activated, according to the Israeli military's Home Front Command.

The US ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, gave his backing on Friday to a truce initiative proposed by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, telling reporters that "matters are not resolved without talking".

He said, however, he believed Israel "has decided not to stop" striking Lebanon yet.

"That means Lebanon has to decide whether it can meet the Israelis in this case," the ambassador added.

Lebanon's health ministry says the war has killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon and displaced more than one million more.

Two Israeli soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon, according to the military.