Rabat - A Royal Navy patrol boat intercepted, on Friday 260 km southwest off the southern city of Dakhla, a pirogue carrying 165 sub-Sharan would-be migrants, including 4 corpses. The pirogue, which had intended to reach the Canary Islands, set sail on March 6, the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces said in a press release. The rescued people received first aid onboard before being taken to the Port of Dakhla and handed over to the Royal Gendarmerie for the usual administrative procedures, the same source noted, adding that the corpses were delivered to the morgue of the Hassan II hospital in Dakhla. Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse Addis Ababa - The role of Moroccan women and their active participation in peacekeeping operations particularly in Africa were highlighted, Saturday in Swakopmund in Namibia, before the High-level Ministerial Seminar of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) on the 'participation of women in the peace process'. Speaking on behalf of Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, Morocco's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the AU and UNECA, Mohamed Arrouchi, said that Morocco, aware of the importance of women's role in peacekeeping in Africa, is committed at several levels. In this regard, Arrouchi cited in particular the active participation of Moroccan women in peacekeeping operations, particularly in Africa, the presence of several Moroccan women as members of the African network FemWise and who are part of the pilot stage of the decentralization of this mechanism under the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and the c reation of the Friends Group on the intersecting challenges of climate change and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in February 2023. The Moroccan diplomat also cited the role played by the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) that endeavor upon the Very High Instructions of His Majesty the King, Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of FAR, to promote the participation of women in the Moroccan contingents, particularly at command posts. The Moroccan diplomat noted that in Africa, women are deliberately targeted by extremist and insurgent groups, making them vulnerable targets in armed conflicts in Africa. To this end, Morocco underlines the urgency of closing this gap and guaranteeing effective implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which provides for a vital commitment to protecting women in conflict times and actively including them in settlement processes in accordance with the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter, Arrouchi underlined. The diplomat stressed that it is imperative that the voices and needs of women are fully integrated into all peace and security initiatives, to ensure sustainable and inclusive solutions for all. Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse
