Morocco prepares vaccine campaign, counters online skepticism

Morocco hopes to launch an ambitious vaccination campaign against the novel coronavirus by year-end, but its efforts have sparked suspicion and rumors in the country. (File/AFP)
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Updated 02 December 2020
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Morocco prepares vaccine campaign, counters online skepticism

  • Morocco is hoping to immunize 20 million adults against the Covid-19 illness within three months
  • It will use vaccinations from China’s Sinopharm and a UK-sourced shot developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University

RABAT: Morocco hopes to launch an ambitious vaccination campaign against the novel coronavirus by year-end, but its efforts have sparked suspicion and rumors in the country, hard-hit by the pandemic.
The North African kingdom is hoping to immunize 20 million adults against the Covid-19 illness within three months, using vaccinations from China’s Sinopharm and a UK-sourced shot developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University.
Health Minister Khalid Ait Taleb told AFP that each country was free to “decree emergency use” of the vaccine of its choice.
Britain on Wednesday became the first country to approve Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for general use, while the AstraZeneca/Oxford University shot is expected to come onstream soon.
The launch date for the campaign in Morocco “will depend on when the vaccines are certified for use but also on the delivery schedule,” Ait Taleb added.
But even before the campaign began, rumors pushed by skeptics have flooded social media, including a fake “draft law” stating that vaccination would be mandatory in Morocco, forcing the health ministry to issue a denial last month.
And this week, a photo of a young man being hauled away by six police officers, with the caption “official: vaccination campaign launched in Morocco,” was denounced as “fake news” by the Twitter account of the DGSN security service.
Morocco in August signed a deal to take part in clinical tests of a vaccine developed by Chinese company Sinopharm, which has agreed to provide the kingdom with 10 million doses before the end of the year if results are successful.
Even as they await preliminary results of phase three tests, the Moroccan authorities are preparing a “viral retaliation,” Ait Taleb said.
The novel coronavirus has battered Morocco, where daily detected cases are running at above 5,000 per day and recorded deaths from the virus have topped 5,900, in a country of 37 million.
The death rate has been relatively low at around 1.7 percent of recorded cases.
But in the port city of Casablanca, the beating heart of the Moroccan economy, under-staffed hospitals are close to bursting.
Hard-stretched medical staff, on the front lines of the pandemic since March, are showing signs of exhaustion.
But the government is hoping that by mobilizing 12,750 medics from the public and private sectors, military doctors and the Moroccan Red Crescent, it will be able to hit its target for vaccinations.
The first jabs will be reserved for “front line” staff in the health and security services as well as people in vital sectors such as transportation, and at-risk groups including over-65s and those with chronic conditions, the health minister said.
But as the government steps up preparations for the campaign, public sentiment is divided between hope and anxiety.
On social media, “everyone has their own information,” said news website Hesspress.
The rumors began to swirl as soon as the November 9 announcement that King Mohammed VI had given the go-ahead for a “mass immunization operation,” without specifying the timeline or type of vaccine.
Criticisms voiced online have ranged from doubts over the effectiveness of the vaccines to the fear of being “guinea-pigs” — or that the jab could modify the receiver’s DNA.
Traditional media have been hosting experts every day to counter the wave of skepticism and refute what news website Media24 called “eccentric, fanciful criticisms.”
But the Economiste newspaper said news of the vaccine has blown “a gust of optimism” into an economy plunged into recession by the pandemic as well as a punishing drought that has hit the agriculture sector.
In late September, Morocco’s central bank downgraded its already dire forecasts, predicting GDP would shrink by some 6.3 percent in 2020 and forecasting “a slower recovery than expected.”
But for some in the vital tourism sector, facing disaster since the country closed its borders in mid-March, the vaccine finally brings hope of a relaunch.


One SDF fighter killed in attack by Daesh in eastern Syria

Updated 2 sec ago
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One SDF fighter killed in attack by Daesh in eastern Syria

CAIRO: The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a militia group led by Kurdish fighters, said on Monday that one of its fighters was killed and another injured in an attack by Daesh in Syria’s eastern Deir el-Zor region.
The SDF was the main fighting force allied to the United States in Syria during fighting that defeated Daesh in 2019 after the group declared a caliphate across swathes of Syria and Iraq.
The SDF reached an agreement in March to integrate with the Syrian government, now led by former militants who toppled President Bashar Assad last year.
Syria’s new authorities have clashed with Daesh fighters, particularly in the east. Last month, Daesh killed five SDF fighters in one of the deadliest recent attacks against the group.

Egypt rejects all Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty, El-Sisi tells Aoun

Updated 18 min 6 sec ago
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Egypt rejects all Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty, El-Sisi tells Aoun

  • During a meeting in Cairo, Egyptian president pledges support for stability in Lebanon and reconstruction of his counterpart’s country
  • Lebanese president says Lebanon needs ‘stability and lasting peace in our region, built on justice’ and his nation cannot be excluded from this just peace

BEIRUT: Egypt rejects repeated Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty and its occupation of parts of the country, and supports Lebanon’s reconstruction efforts, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Monday as he received a visit in Cairo from his Lebanese counterpart, Joseph Aoun.

The two leaders discussed ways in which bilateral relations might be strengthened and Egypt can support stability in Lebanon, as well as broader challenges to regional peace.

During a joint press conference following their talks, El-Sisi said that his country remains firm in its support of Lebanon’s internal stability and efforts to safeguard its full sovereignty.

He said Egypt continues to call on Israeli authorities to withdraw their forces immediately and unconditionally from Lebanese territory, respect the 1949 Armistice Agreements with Arab states, and fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701. Resolution 1701 was adopted in 2006 with the aim of resolving the conflict that year between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

El-Sisi said his country will not interfere in internal Lebanese affairs but is keen to have a strong relationship with the nation. The president added that he wants Egypt to support reconstruction efforts in Lebanon, called on the wider international community also to assume its responsibilities in this process, and affirmed the need to enhance the nation’s internal stability and preserve its full sovereignty.

“On the political level, there should be a voice that supports Lebanon and its president, namely when it comes to calling for the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the five occupied hills, and addressing the remaining issues calmly and regularly in accordance with the Lebanese president’s wish in order to preserve the country’s security and stability,” El-Sisi said.

Turning to the situation in Palestine, he stressed the need to end Israeli hostilities in Gaza immediately. He called for the mobilization of the international community to implement a Gaza reconstruction plan without any displacement of the population, and to enable Palestinian authorities to carry out their role in fully managing the territory.

Aoun praised the depth of the Lebanese-Egyptian relationship, saying it is built on “freedom and openness.” He affirmed the commitment of his nation to Resolution 1701, which he said preserves his country’s sovereignty and territorial unity, and emphasizes the importance of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon’s role in the south of the country.

He called for a halt to Israel’s military offensive in Gaza and said: “We affirm the necessity to put an end to Israeli hostilities, and adhere to the provisions of the 1949 Armistice Agreement in a way that ensures security and stability in southern Lebanon and the whole region.”

The Lebanese president urged the international community to “fulfill its responsibilities, particularly in compelling Israel to adhere to the ceasefire agreement, reached under US and French sponsorship, in order to maintain security and stability in Lebanon and the region, withdraw from all Lebanese territories up to our internationally recognized and demarcated borders, and facilitate the return of Lebanese prisoners.”

Aoun also emphasized his nation’s “commitment to establishing the best possible relations” with neighboring Syria, and highlighted the importance of “coordination and cooperation between the two countries to address shared challenges, particularly concerning the issue of Syrian refugees.”

He underscored “the necessity of ensuring the safe and dignified return of the refugees to their homeland,” and urged the governments of Syria and Lebanon “to act swiftly through joint committees that have been agreed upon to achieve this, thereby safeguarding the interests of both nations and their peoples.”

He affirmed Lebanon’s support for all efforts to preserve Syrian unity and sovereignty and address the aspirations of its people. He welcomed recent decisions to lift international sanctions against the country, following the fall of the Assad regime, and expressed hopes that this will contribute to its recovery and wider regional stability.

Returning to the situation in his own country, Aoun said Lebanon needs “stability and lasting peace in our region, built on justice by granting all rights to their rightful owners. This is what the Arab countries approved in the Beirut Peace Initiative in 2002 and this is what we look forward to embodying as soon as possible.”

This peace would include “the establishment of a sovereign, independent Palestinian state,” he added, and a battle against “extremism and terrorism, poverty and hunger, ideas of elimination and desires of exclusion,” to “achieve development and prosperity for our people.

“I affirm that Lebanon cannot be outside such an equation. It is not in the interest of any Lebanese person, nor any country or people in our region, to exclude itself from the path of a comprehensive and just peace.”

Aoun called for “the establishment of a system for common Arab interests, one of the first pillars of which would be a body regulating the common interests of our countries and peoples, as a prelude to establishing a common regional market that would begin between two countries and gradually expand across sectors and geographies.”

Aoun’s office said that during his talks with El-Sisi the two leaders agreed to convene a joint high-level committee meeting, chaired by the countries’ prime ministers in Cairo on a date to be announced, to examine Lebanon’s needs and establish a working mechanism to help achieve them.

El-Sisi said he wishes to see Egyptian companies operating in Lebanon and providing assistance, as the Lebanese market represents a promising destination for trade and investment.

The Egyptian minister of electricity and renewable energy, Mahmoud Esmat, highlighted the cooperation between the two countries in the electricity sector, and El-Sisi said Lebanon “must be assisted in repairing its (power) grid and in everything that can help secure electricity.” This will be discussed further during the upcoming high-level ministerial committee meeting, he added.

Aoun’s visit to Egypt formed part of his strategic Arab outreach following his election as president in January. The trip to Cairo followed visits to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states in what Lebanese presidential sources described as a concerted effort to “forge a new chapter in Lebanon-Arab world relations.”


Tripoli-based govt ‘pursuing permanent truce after clashes’

Updated 27 min 31 sec ago
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Tripoli-based govt ‘pursuing permanent truce after clashes’

  • UN mission welcomes creation of ceasefire committee, calls for protection of all civilians

TRIPOLI: Libya’s UN-recognized government said on Monday it was pressing efforts to reach a permanent ceasefire after days of deadly clashes in the capital and protests demanding the prime minister’s resignation.

The fighting last week pitted an armed group aligned with the Tripoli-based government against factions it has sought to dismantle, resulting in at least eight dead, according to the UN.

The Libyan Defense Ministry said in a statement that “the efforts toward a ceasefire remain ongoing” and that it was “directly” overseeing the process to ensure stability.

The fighting had largely ended by late on Thursday, according to an Interior Ministry official and the UN mission in Libya, but without any formal ceasefire agreement.

The UN mission, UNSMIL, welcomed on Sunday the creation of a “truce committee building on the fragile peace reached last week” after the violence that saw heavy artillery used in central Tripoli.

UNSMIL said the committee “is focused on facilitating a permanent ceasefire with emphasis on the protection of all civilians, and to agree on security arrangements for Tripoli.”

Tripoli saw a return to relative calm late last week as flights resumed, shops reopened, and people returned to work, but the situation remained volatile as calls for Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s resignation grew.

The clashes were sparked by the killing of an armed faction leader by a group aligned with Dbeibah’s government — the 444 Brigade, which later fought a third group, the Radaa force that controls parts of eastern Tripoli and the city’s airport.

It came after Dbeibah announced a string of executive orders seeking to dismantle Radaa and dissolve other Tripoli-based armed groups, but excluding the 444 Brigade.

The 444 Brigade said on Monday it had uncovered a mass grave with 10 bodies in Abu Salim, a district of Tripoli that before last week was controlled by the group of Abdelghani Al-Kikli, whose killing sparked the clashes.

Dbeibah had accused Al-Kikli’s group, the Support and Stability Apparatus, of multiple abuses, including “cold-blooded” executions and forced disappearance of critics.

In an address on Saturday after securing the public support of several dignitaries, Dbeibah called on armed groups in Tripoli to align themselves with “state institutions.”

“Our goal is a Libya free of militias and corruption,” he said.


Jordanian king, Maltese PM discuss cooperation in energy, tourism

Updated 32 min 15 sec ago
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Jordanian king, Maltese PM discuss cooperation in energy, tourism

  • Robert Abela also met with Prime Minister Jafar Hassan to discuss cooperation in the economy, culture, education, and academia
  • King Abdullah stressed the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza and the flow of humanitarian aid

LONDON: King Abdullah II of Jordan met with Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela to discuss ties and regional development at Al-Husseiniya Palace in Amman on Monday.

King Abdullah said that the cooperation agreement and memorandums of understanding between Jordan and Malta highlight their commitment to strengthening private sector collaboration.

Crown Prince Hussein attended the meeting, which highlighted the need to receive sick and injured Palestinian children from Gaza for medical treatment.

Abela praised Jordan for promoting stability and peace in the region, providing medical care for Gaza’s children, and offering assistance to Syrian refugees, the Petra news agency reported.

King Abdullah stressed the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza and the flow of humanitarian aid, reiterating Jordan’s commitment to working with allies for peace and praising Malta’s role in these efforts. He said that tensions in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, along with Israeli plans to displace Palestinians from Gaza, threaten regional stability.

The king and Abela witnessed the signing of a framework agreement for cooperation, along with three memorandums of understanding in the areas of water and energy, tourism, and language exchange and archiving.

On Monday, Abela met with Jordan’s Prime Minister Jafar Hassan to discuss cooperation in the economy, culture, education, and academia sectors.

Their discussion focused on building partnerships in the pharmaceutical and medical industries, future technologies, and potential twinning agreements between tourist cities in both countries, Petra added.


Britain, Canada, France condemn Israel’s ‘egregious actions’ in Gaza

Updated 19 May 2025
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Britain, Canada, France condemn Israel’s ‘egregious actions’ in Gaza

  • ‘We are committed to recognizing a Palestinian state as a contribution to achieving a two-state solution and are prepared to work with others to this end’
  • Slammed ‘abhorrent language used recently by members of the Israeli government, threatening that, in their despair at the destruction of Gaza, civilians will start to relocate’

PARIS: The leaders of Britain, France and Canada on Monday condemned Israel’s “egregious actions” in Gaza, opposed its expanded offensive, and slammed Israeli ministers for threatening the mass displacement of civilians.

“We will not stand by” while the government of Benjamin Netanyahu pursues those actions, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a joint statement.

“We are committed to recognizing a Palestinian state as a contribution to achieving a two-state solution and are prepared to work with others to this end,” they said.

The statement coincided with a joint demand by 22 countries — including Britain, France and Canada — for Israel to immediately “allow a full resumption of aid into Gaza,” noting that the territory’s population “faces starvation.”

Israel has kept Gaza in a total aid blockade since March 2, but announced on Monday it would allow a limited number of supply trucks.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said the limited aid access was because “images of mass starvation” in Gaza could hurt the legitimacy of his country’s war.

The statement by Britain, France and Canada said that Israel’s “denial of essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable and risks breaching international humanitarian law.”

It also slammed “abhorrent language used recently by members of the Israeli government, threatening that, in their despair at the destruction of Gaza, civilians will start to relocate.”

The leaders said that “permanent forced displacement is a breach of international humanitarian law.”

Israel’s military has stepped up an offensive in Gaza as part of its prolonged response to Hamas’s October 2023 attack that triggered the war and resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Gaza’s health ministry said on Monday at least 3,340 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 53,486.