Morocco Says Iran Working on Destabilizing North, West Africa

FM Nasser Bourita in Rabat on September 6, 2020. (AFP)
FM Nasser Bourita in Rabat on September 6, 2020. (AFP)
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Morocco Says Iran Working on Destabilizing North, West Africa

FM Nasser Bourita in Rabat on September 6, 2020. (AFP)
FM Nasser Bourita in Rabat on September 6, 2020. (AFP)

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said on Thursday that Iran was acting through its proxies to destabilize the African region and threaten the territorial integrity of Morocco.

“People know more about Iran's nuclear activities, but Iran is also acting through proxies to destabilize North and West Africa,” the FM said in an interview with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) TV channel, on the sidelines of its annual meeting.

Bourita stressed that Iran threatens the territorial integrity of Morocco and its security by supporting the Polisario through providing it with arms and training its militia to attack Morocco, recalling that Iran is expanding its influence through Hezbollah.

“Iran’s activities in West Africa are damaging the moderate Islam that Morocco has been promoting for centuries in this region and connecting with some proxies, including militant non-state actors,” he said.

He noted that currently, Morocco is vigilant of the threats that Iran presents to the security of the Moroccan people.

Separately, he stressed that the Sahara issue is “crucial for Morocco. Its territorial integrity is the key to its stability.”

Commenting on relations between Rabat and Tel Aviv, Bourita said the renewal of diplomatic relations is a response to a double appeal: a call from the Moroccan Jewish community, eager to deepen its relationship with Morocco, but also a call for peace and the development of the original dynamic, conducive to a lasting peace in the Middle East.

“King Mohammed VI said that Morocco's decision in December was not an opportunistic one. It is a natural decision due to its ties with its Jewish community and to the historic involvement of Morocco in peace,” he stressed.

Concerning the Palestinian cause, Bourita said regional stability is very important to promote peace between Israel and Palestine,

Rabat, he continued, has played a pioneering role in the peace process in the Middle East and it is today also ready to contribute to it.

"We hope that all efforts will be made from all sides, including on the part of Israel, to promote genuine peace, a peace which will preserve Israel's security and stability of its people, but which also allows Palestinians to enjoy their rights,” he said.



UN: Record 281 Aid Workers Killed in 2024

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has seen more than 200 staff killed since the Gaza war began. Eyad BABA / AFP/File
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has seen more than 200 staff killed since the Gaza war began. Eyad BABA / AFP/File
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UN: Record 281 Aid Workers Killed in 2024

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has seen more than 200 staff killed since the Gaza war began. Eyad BABA / AFP/File
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has seen more than 200 staff killed since the Gaza war began. Eyad BABA / AFP/File

A staggering 281 aid workers have been killed around the world so far this year, making 2024 the deadliest year for humanitarians, the UN aid chief said Friday.
"Humanitarian workers are being killed at an unprecedented rate, their courage and humanity being met with bullets and bombs," said Tom Fletcher, the United Nations' new under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator.
With more than a month left to go of 2024, the "grim milestone was reached", he said, after 280 humanitarians were killed across 33 countries during all of 2023.
"This violence is unconscionable and devastating to aid operations," Fletcher said.
Israel's devastating war in Gaza was driving up the numbers, his office said, with 333 aid workers killed there -- most from the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees, UNRWA -- since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attacks, which sparked the war, AFP reported.
"States and parties to conflict must protect humanitarians, uphold international law, prosecute those responsible, and call time on this era of impunity," Fletcher said.
Aid workers were subject to kidnappings, injuries, harassment and arbitrary detention in a range of countries, his office said, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and Ukraine.
The majority of deaths involve local staff working with non-governmental organizations, UN agencies and the Red Cross Red Crescent movement, Fletcher's office said.
"Violence against humanitarian personnel is part of a broader trend of harm to civilians in conflict zones," it warned.
"Last year, more than 33,000 civilian deaths were recorded in 14 armed conflicts -- a staggering 72 per cent increase from 2022."
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution last May in response to the surging violence and threats against aid workers.
The text called for recommendations from the UN chief -- set to be presented at a council meeting next week -- on measures to prevent and respond to such incidents and to increase protection for humanitarian staff and accountability for abuses.