Morocco Prepares for ‘African Lion 2023’ Military Drill

The planning meeting of the African Lion 2023 (MAP)
The planning meeting of the African Lion 2023 (MAP)
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Morocco Prepares for ‘African Lion 2023’ Military Drill

The planning meeting of the African Lion 2023 (MAP)
The planning meeting of the African Lion 2023 (MAP)

Morocco announced Monday that the African Lion 2023 military exercise would be held between May 22 and June 16.

The announcement came during the planning meeting of the African Lion 2023 at the level of the South Zone Headquarters in Agadir, held between January 9 and 20, according to the General Staff of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces.

The meeting included members of the Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and the representatives of the Moroccan and US armed forces.

The statement indicated they discussed the execution of various activities planned within the framework of the African Lion drills and chose the sites for the exercises.

The drills will include training in several operational areas and a planning exercise for staff executives, joint and combined maneuvers including land, airborne, maritime, special forces, air, civil-military action, and nuclear, radiological, biological, and chemical decontamination, the statement said.

The US and Moroccan planners agreed on the modalities of the joint show between the FAR and the 23rd Utah State Army Band, which will be held on the sidelines of the operational activities of the African Lion 23.

The show is part of the activities planned on the 20th anniversary of the bilateral cooperation between the FAR and the Utah State National Guard.

African Lion 23 will take place from May 22 to June 16, 2023, in Agadir, Tantan, Al-Mahbes, Tiznit, Kenitra, Ben Guerir, and Tifnit.

African Lion is the most important multinational exercise on the African continent. It has been organized in Morocco over the past two decades, reflecting the strong cooperation between Morocco and the United States as a privileged strategic partner of the Kingdom.

The statement concluded that the participation of several countries, especially African ones, in this annual event establishes Morocco as a credible partner, open and committed to its origins and the ideals of the international community, namely peace, security, and co-development.



US Condemns Sudan's RSF for Attacks on Civilians, Calls for Accountability 

Displaced Sudanese children, who are mostly from the capital Khartoum, play at "Abdallah Nagi" shelter camp, in Port Sudan, Sudan April 15, 2025. (Reuters)
Displaced Sudanese children, who are mostly from the capital Khartoum, play at "Abdallah Nagi" shelter camp, in Port Sudan, Sudan April 15, 2025. (Reuters)
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US Condemns Sudan's RSF for Attacks on Civilians, Calls for Accountability 

Displaced Sudanese children, who are mostly from the capital Khartoum, play at "Abdallah Nagi" shelter camp, in Port Sudan, Sudan April 15, 2025. (Reuters)
Displaced Sudanese children, who are mostly from the capital Khartoum, play at "Abdallah Nagi" shelter camp, in Port Sudan, Sudan April 15, 2025. (Reuters)

The Trump administration on Tuesday condemned attacks by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on civilians in North Darfur and called for parties in the country's civil war to be held accountable for breaches of international humanitarian law.

"We are deeply alarmed by reports the RSF has deliberately targeted civilians and humanitarian actors in Zamzam and Abu Shouk," US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters, referring to two camps in the region where hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced in recent days, according to the UN.

"The belligerents must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and must be held accountable," Bruce added.

The war in Sudan erupted in April 2023, sparked by a power struggle between the army and RSF, shattering hopes for a transition to civilian rule.

The warring parties should put down their guns and negotiate a durable peace, said Bruce, who declined to say if the US was conducting diplomacy toward a settlement.

Bruce also declined to say whether the Trump administration agreed with a finding by the State Department under former President Joe Biden that the RSF and allied militias have committed genocide in the conflict.