Latest news with #RoyalGendarmerie
Morocco World
a day ago
- Morocco World
Seven Dead in Overturned Three-Wheeler Accident in El Kelâa des Sraghna
Doha – A tragic road accident claimed seven lives on Sunday, when a three-wheeler vehicle overturned on National Road N23 in the commune of Sour El Aaz, El Kelâa des Sraghna province. The vehicle was carrying 14 passengers heading to a summer recreation site when it flipped over in circumstances that remain under investigation. Local authorities reported that seven passengers died immediately at the scene, including the driver. Seven others sustained injuries of varying severity and were evacuated to provincial hospitals for emergency treatment. Upon notification, local authorities, Royal Gendarmerie, and Civil Protection services quickly arrived at the accident site to provide necessary assistance and secure the area. Multiple ambulances were deployed to transport the injured victims. Three of the injured were admitted to Demnate Hospital, including an eight-year-old child. According to Adil Ait Haddou, Provincial Delegate of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection in Azilal, their condition is moderately serious and requires transfer to the University Hospital Center (CHU) in Marrakech for specialized medical care in surgery and neurology. The Provincial Hospital of El Kelâa des Sraghna received four injured passengers, including three children. The hospital director confirmed these victims suffered fractures to their limbs and are currently being treated in the intensive care unit. The King's Prosecutor at the Court of First Instance of El Kelâa des Sraghna has ordered an investigation into the accident. The prosecutor's office also directed the monitoring of the injured victims' health status and the transfer of the deceased to the provincial hospital morgue to expedite burial procedures. The Royal Gendarmerie's judicial division is conducting the investigation under the supervision of the prosecutor's office to determine the exact circumstances of this accident and establish responsibility. The fatal crash has once again brought attention to the dangers posed by three-wheeled motorcycles, locally known as 'triporteurs,' on Moroccan roads. The tragedy has prompted calls for increased government oversight and regulation. Labor union representatives have blamed the continuing deadly accidents on persistent government negligence. They point to the lack of import controls on these vehicles and insufficient road monitoring by specialized agencies, noting that triporteurs freely roam Moroccan streets for all types of uses despite not being designed for passenger transport. Human rights activists have described the El Kelâa accident as a 'road crime,' explaining that victims often use these vehicles due to their low cost. They emphasize that local authorities and the government bear responsibility for the continuation of this deadly phenomenon through inadequate supervision, especially on rough roads. Official statistics reveal the severity of Morocco's road safety crisis, with 26 people killed and 3,034 injured in 2,250 traffic accidents recorded in urban areas during the last week of May alone. Primary causes include driver inattention, failure to respect right of way, pedestrian carelessness, and excessive speed. As Morocco celebrated Eid al-Adha this past weekend, authorities had issued warnings about increased traffic volumes and safety recommendations for travelers, urging citizens to plan trips in advance, check traffic conditions, and ensure vehicle maintenance to prevent accidents during the holiday period. Read also: Four Women Dead, Five Seriously Injured in Crash Near Agadir Tags: El Kelaa Sraghnaroad accidents in Morocco
Morocco World
14-05-2025
- General
- Morocco World
Morocco Celebrates 69th Anniversary of FAR Creation
Rabat – Morocco is celebrating today the 69th anniversary of the creation of its Royal Armed Forces (FAR). King Mohammed VI addressed an order of the day to officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates, recognizing Morocco's military efforts and their contribution to the country's safety and stability. The King, who is the Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of FAR, said that the celebration marks an opportunity to stress the country's pride of all men and women in all corps of the military and royal gendarmerie for the enormous sacrifices they constantly make in defense of Morocco and its territorial integrity. 'We would like to address Our greetings and the expression of Our esteem and pride to all the members of Our Royal Armed Forces, the Royal Gendarmerie, the National Security and Auxiliary Forces, who watch over our land, air and sea borders, day and night, as well as to the various units in our Moroccan Sahara, for their dedication in fulfilling their sacred duty to protect the unity of the Homeland and its security, giving full meaning to the values of solid cohesion that characterize all Moroccans in the defense of their first national cause,' the King said. He added that the order of the day is an opportunity to welcome the achievements of military service and their contribution to risk management and post-natural disasters intervention, rescue and salvage operations as well as medical services. The monarch also cited the challenges and unprecedented regional and international disruptions, calling for vigilance as well as in-depth knowledge to tackle them with fitness and professionalism. To address similar challenges, the King recalled the importance of military training programs as well as the improvement of scientific training curriculum within higher institutions and military training centers. Morocco's military has been engaged in several international training across the world. One of the major training is Africa's largest military maneuver known as the African Lion, which the country hosts annually for 21 years. The 21st edition is now ongoing in Morocco, in the participation of many US military representatives as well as others from across the world. Morocco has also been strengthening its military by acquiring state-of-the-art equipment, with the US being the major exporter of arms to the North African country. As part of this military modernization campaign, Morocco received in March the first batch of AH-64 Apache helicopters. According to the latest Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report, Morocco's military spending increased by 2.6% in 2024, reaching $5.5 billion. In January, Global Firepower's latest report ranked Morocco as the 59th most powerful military worldwide in 2025, out of 145 countries assessed. The country comes 7th on the African continent, following Egypt (19th globally), Algeria (26th), South Africa (40th), Nigeria (36th), Ethiopia (52th), and Angola (56th). According to the report, FAR includes 200,000 active-duty personnel, 150,000 reservists, and 50,000 parliamentary forces. Over 15 million individuals are eligible for military service, offering a significant pool for recruitment and mobilization, according to the report. Tags: 2018 Morocco military rankingAfrican Lion Military Exercise
Ya Biladi
24-04-2025
- Health
- Ya Biladi
Outrage over migrant's medical airlift to Marrakech : A closer look at the facts
In recent hours, social media has been filled with angry posts and comments after an Ivorian migrant, living irregularly in Dakhla, was transferred to the university hospital in Marrakech on a special medical plane, a «Learjet 45». The scene was described as «provocative», with some even labeling it as an example of «state discrimination, favoring foreigners over its own citizens». Many posts pointed out that «a Moroccan in a similar situation would have been transported in a coffin», referencing a widely publicized incident in which a Moroccan woman from the Ait Abbas area was transported on a coffin to reach a health center. A policy established for years However, this narrative, whether intentionally misleading or simply ignorant, overlooks the fact that Morocco has been routinely using helicopters and medical planes for years to save the lives of its citizens—making no distinction between those with a national ID card and those who are struggling to hold onto life. For example, in 2015, a Moroccan woman in critical condition was urgently transferred from Laayoune to the university hospital in Marrakech after complications from childbirth made local treatment impossible. The following year, a 30-year-old man, who had sustained multiple injuries after falling from a height of nine meters, was airlifted from Laayoune to Marrakech by a medical helicopter. In 2017, authorities dispatched a medical helicopter to the high mountains of Bouiblane, where a pregnant woman was trapped in the snow, waiting for rescue in harsh weather conditions. That same year, three critical cases were evacuated via medical planes. These included the transfer of a two-and-a-half-year-old child from Tibourdin to the regional hospital in Azilal, a 48-year-old man from Boujdour to the regional hospital in Laayoune, and a woman from Sidi Yahya Ousaad to the Mohammed VI University Hospital in Fez. In 2018, a medical helicopter conducted eight interventions in the provinces of Beni Mellal and Azilal, transferring emergency cases to hospitals in Beni Mellal, Azilal, and the university hospital in Marrakech. In 2020, another helicopter intervened to transport a Moroccan woman from Bouarfa to Oujda, where critical medical care was required at the regional hospital. In September 2024, a helicopter from the Royal Gendarmerie was used to transfer two patients from the Tagmout community to the provincial hospital in Tata for necessary treatment. One patient was pregnant, and the other was suffering from renal failure. These examples show that air medical transport is neither a luxury nor an exceptional favor. It is a strategic tool to save lives in a country where territorial disparities in access to healthcare remain glaring. Rather than being outraged by an isolated case, the real question to ask is: how can we ensure that this type of care becomes the norm for all people in danger, regardless of their place of residence? How can we strengthen the healthcare system in remote areas to reduce costly and logically limited emergency evacuations?
Morocco World
19-04-2025
- Morocco World
Tragic Death of 3-Year-Old Child After Falling Into Unsecured Well
Rabat — A heartbreaking tragedy struck the rural community of El Aouamra in Morocco's Larache province Wednesday evening when a three-year-old child died after falling into an unsecured well near his home. According to local media, the tragedy occurred when the child momentarily escaped his mother's supervision. The toddler wandered to an uncovered water tank just meters from their home before falling in. The drowning happened without anyone immediately noticing the child's absence. By the time worried family members discovered what had happened minutes later, it was too late. Emergency services and the Royal Gendarmerie quickly arrived at the scene. Firefighters recovered the child's lifeless body from the water. Authorities have reportedly launched an investigation to determine the precise circumstances of the tragedy and identify any potential responsibility. This incident reignites persisting concerns about the proliferation of wells, retention basins, and water tanks left uncovered throughout rural areas of Morocco. Without proper safety measures, these installations constitute a deadly danger, especially to young children. Similar cases occur yearly, particularly during summer months when youngsters seek to cool off or play around these water sources. Read also: Only 22,519 of Morocco's 258,391 Wells Are Authorized Citizens often speak out against the lack of strict regulations for securing private water installations in rural settings and the absence of effective awareness campaigns for families. The El Aouamra tragedy forcefully renews calls for urgent action from public authorities, local communities, and civil society to prevent these avoidable accidents and protect the most vulnerable lives. The incident signals a persistent safety issue in rural communities where water storage facilities remain dangerous hazards for curious children. It is a stark reminder of the urgent need for standardized protection measures around all water installations. This tragedy recalls what happened with the five-year-old Rayan, whose tragic death in a narrow well in Tamarot commune near Chefchaouen in 2022 caught the hearts of people around the world. Tags: Moroccoprivate water reserveunsecured well
Ya Biladi
18-04-2025
- Ya Biladi
Moroccan tourist killed by monkey-thrown rock in Sti Fatma
A Moroccan tourist died this week in the popular tourist area of Sti Fatma, in Al Haouz province, after being struck by a rock thrown by a monkey from a rocky slope. According to local sources, the victim was on a mountain tour when a monkey suddenly began throwing stones at him, one of which caused a fatal head injury, leading to his death at the scene. Royal Gendarmerie officers quickly arrived and opened an investigation to determine the circumstances of the incident. The victim's body was transported to the morgue under the supervision of the relevant public prosecutor's office.
