Editing Morocco (section)

=== Post-independence ===
{{expand section|date=July 2023}}
Sultan Mohammed became King in 1957. Upon the death of Mohammed V, [[Hassan II of Morocco|Hassan II]] became King of Morocco on 3 March 1961. Morocco held its first [[Moroccan parliamentary election, 1963|general elections in 1963]]. However, Hassan declared a state of emergency and suspended parliament in 1965. In 1971 and 1972, there were two failed attempts to depose the king and establish a republic. A truth commission set up in 2005 to investigate human rights abuses during his reign confirmed nearly 10,000 cases, ranging from death in detention to forced exile. Some 592 people were recorded killed during Hassan's rule according to the truth commission.

In 1963, the [[Sand War]] was fought between Algerian and Moroccan troops over Moroccan claims to parts of Algerian territory. A formal peace agreement was signed in February 1964; however, relations remained strained between the two countries following the conflict.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Farsoun |first1=Karen |last2=Paul |first2=Jim |date=1976 |title=War in the Sahara: 1963 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3011767 |journal=MERIP Reports |issue=45 |pages=13–16 |doi=10.2307/3011767 |jstor=3011767 |issn=0047-7265 |access-date=13 August 2023 |archive-date=4 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204210150/https://www.jstor.org/stable/3011767 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Spanish [[enclave]] of [[Ifni]] in the south was returned to Morocco in 1969.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1969-01-05 |title=Spanish Return Ifni to Morocco |language=en |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1969/01/05/archives/spanish-return-ifni-to-morocco.html |access-date=2023-08-13 |archive-date=13 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813010516/https://www.nytimes.com/1969/01/05/archives/spanish-return-ifni-to-morocco.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Polisario movement]] was formed in 1973, with the aim of establishing an independent state in the Spanish Sahara. On 6 November 1975, King Hassan asked for volunteers to cross into the Spanish Sahara. Some 350,000 civilians were reported as being involved in the "[[Green March]]".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14123260 |title=Morocco profile – Timeline |work=BBC News |date=19 September 2012 |access-date=9 January 2013 |archive-date=23 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121223035216/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14123260 |url-status=live }}</ref> A month later, Spain agreed to leave the Spanish Sahara, soon to become Western Sahara, and to transfer it to joint Moroccan-Mauritanian control, despite the objections and threats of military intervention by Algeria. Moroccan forces occupied the territory.<ref name="brit" />

Moroccan and Algerian troops [[Western Sahara War|soon clashed in Western Sahara]]. Morocco and Mauritania divided up Western Sahara. Fighting between the Moroccan military and Polisario forces continued for many years. The prolonged war was a considerable financial drain on Morocco. In 1983, Hassan cancelled planned elections amid political unrest and economic crisis. In 1984, Morocco left the Organisation of African Unity in protest at the [[Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic|SADR]]'s admission to the body. Polisario claimed to have killed more than 5,000 Moroccan soldiers between 1982 and 1985.<ref>{{cite web |title=Western Sahara Short Mission Brief |url=https://sites.tufts.edu/wpf/files/2017/07/Western-Sahara-brief.pdf |website=sites.tufts.edu/ |access-date=14 September 2023 |archive-date=3 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003182513/https://sites.tufts.edu/wpf/files/2017/07/Western-Sahara-brief.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Algerian authorities have estimated the number of [[Sahrawi refugees]] in Algeria to be 165,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://groups.yahoo.com/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20010418142816/http://groups.yahoo.com/|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 April 2001|title=Yahoo! Groups|website=groups.yahoo.com}}</ref> Diplomatic relations with Algeria were restored in 1988. In 1991, a UN-monitored ceasefire began in Western Sahara, but the territory's status remains undecided and ceasefire violations are reported. The following decade saw much wrangling over a [[Houston Agreement|proposed referendum]] on the future of the territory but the deadlock was not broken.<ref>{{cite book|title=Self-Determination and Secession in International Law|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nZuzAwAAQBAJ&q=Houston+Agreement&pg=PA258|page=258| editor1-first=Christian | editor1-last=Walter| editor2-first= Antje von| editor2-last= Ungern-Sternberg| editor3-first= Kavus| editor3-last= Abushov|publisher=OUP Oxford |year=2014|isbn=9780191006913 }}</ref>

[[File:Redeployment of Polisario Forces 9-83.png|thumb|left|Map of the [[Western Sahara War]] (1975–1991)]]
Political reforms in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature with Morocco's first opposition-led government coming to power. King Hassan II died in 1999 and was succeeded by his son, [[Mohammed VI of Morocco|Mohammed VI]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Morocco: Royal Succession and Other Developments |url=https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RS20391.html |website=everycrsreport.com |access-date=15 September 2023 |archive-date=3 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003182514/https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RS20391.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He is a cautious moderniser who has introduced some economic and social liberalisation.<ref>{{cite news |title=Morocco's king pardons satirist |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3376601.stm |work=BBC News |date=7 January 2004 |access-date=22 February 2011 |archive-date=11 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511212519/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3376601.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Mohammed VI paid a controversial visit to the Western Sahara in 2002.<ref>{{cite web |title=Morocco will not relinquish territory, King says |url=https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2002/03/07/morocco-will-not-relinquish-territory-king-sayshttps://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2002/03/07/morocco-will-not-relinquish-territory-king-says |access-date=7 March 2002 }}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Morocco unveiled an autonomy blueprint for Western Sahara to the United Nations in 2007.<ref>{{cite news |title=Chronology-Western Sahara -- a 50 year dispute |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1118027 |work=Reuters |date=11 April 2007 |language=en |access-date=15 September 2023 |archive-date=3 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003182512/https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1118027 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Polisario rejected the plan and put forward its own proposal.<ref>{{cite news |title=Africa's oldest territorial dispute rumbles on |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sahara-idUSL1610108120070416 |work=Reuters |date=16 April 2007 |language=en |access-date=15 September 2023 |archive-date=3 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003182512/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sahara-idUSL1610108120070416 |url-status=live }}</ref> Morocco and the Polisario Front held UN-sponsored talks in New York City but failed to come to any agreement.<ref>{{cite web |title=Factbox-Some facts about Western Sahara dispute |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/western-sahara/factbox-some-facts-about-western-sahara-dispute |website=reliefweb.int |date=7 November 2010 |access-date=14 September 2023 |archive-date=15 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130915234147/http://reliefweb.int/report/western-sahara/factbox-some-facts-about-western-sahara-dispute |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2010, security forces stormed a protest camp in the Western Sahara, triggering violent demonstrations in the regional capital [[El Aaiún]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Deadly clashes as Morocco breaks up Western Sahara camp |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-11710400 |work=BBC News |date=8 November 2010 |access-date=14 September 2023 |archive-date=3 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003190001/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-11710400 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump Visit France (44046554080).jpg|thumb|[[Mohammed VI of Morocco|Mohammed VI]] and other world leaders and representatives attend the [[Armistice Day centenary]] in November 2018.]]
In 2002, Morocco and Spain agreed to a US-brokered resolution over the disputed island of [[Perejil Island|Perejil]]. Spanish troops had taken the normally uninhabited island after Moroccan soldiers landed on it and set up tents and a flag.<ref>{{cite news |title=Spain withdraws after island deal - July 20, 2002 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/07/20/morocco.spain/ |work=CNN |access-date=15 September 2023 |archive-date=3 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003182512/https://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/07/20/morocco.spain/ |url-status=live }}</ref> There were renewed tensions in 2005, as dozens of African migrants stormed the borders of the Spanish enclaves of Melilla and Ceuta. In response, Spain deported dozens of the illegal migrants to Morocco from Melilla.<ref>{{cite news |title=Spain deports illegal enclave migrants |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2005/10/7/spain-deports-illegal-enclave-migrants |work=Al Jazeera |language=en |date=7 Oct 2005 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003182514/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2005/10/7/spain-deports-illegal-enclave-migrants |archive-date= Oct 3, 2023 }}</ref> In 2006, the Spanish Premier [[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero|Zapatero]] visited Spanish enclaves. He was the first Spanish leader in 25 years to make an official visit to the territories.<ref>{{cite news |title=Spain PM visits troubled enclaves |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4665310.stm |date=31 January 2006 |access-date=14 September 2023 |archive-date=3 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003182512/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4665310.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The following year, Spanish King [[Juan Carlos I]] visited Ceuta and Melilla, further angering Morocco which demanded control of the enclaves.<ref>{{cite news |title=Morocco king condemns royal visit |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7082766.stm |date=7 November 2007 |access-date=14 September 2023 |archive-date=3 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003182552/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7082766.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

During the [[2011–2012 Moroccan protests]], thousands of people rallied in Rabat and other cities calling for political reform and a new constitution curbing the powers of the king. In July 2011, the King won a landslide victory in a [[2011 Moroccan constitutional referendum|referendum]] on a reformed constitution he had proposed to placate the [[Arab Spring]] protests.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2011-11-24 |title=Why has Morocco's king survived the Arab Spring? |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-15856989 |url-status=live |access-date=2023-08-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306045108/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-15856989 |archive-date=6 March 2014 }}</ref> In the first [[2011 Moroccan general election|general elections]] that followed, the moderate Islamist [[Justice and Development Party (Morocco)|Justice and Development Party]] won a plurality of seats, with [[Abdelilah Benkirane]] being designated as head of government per the new constitution.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-11-29 |title=Maroc: Mohammed VI nomme Abdelilah Benkirane chef du gouvernement |url=https://www.jeuneafrique.com/178337/politique/maroc-mohammed-vi-nomme-abdelilah-benkirane-premier-ministre/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160121010554/https://www.jeuneafrique.com/178337/politique/maroc-mohammed-vi-nomme-abdelilah-benkirane-premier-ministre/ |archive-date=21 January 2016 |access-date=2023-08-13 |website=Jeune Afrique |language=fr-FR }}</ref> Despite the reforms made by Mohammed VI, demonstrators continued to call for deeper reforms. Hundreds took part in a trade union rally in Casablanca in May 2012. Participants accused the government of failing to deliver on reforms.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mass anti-government protest in Morocco |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2012/5/28/mass-anti-government-protest-in-morocco |work=Al Jazeera |language=en |date=28 May 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003182518/https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2012/5/28/mass-anti-government-protest-in-morocco |archive-date= Oct 3, 2023 }}</ref>

On 24 August 2021, neighbouring Algeria cut diplomatic relations with Morocco, accusing Morocco of supporting a separatist group and hostile actions against Algeria. Morocco called the decision unjustified. Foreign Minister [[Ramtane Lamamra]] accused Morocco of using [[Pegasus (spyware)|Pegasus spyware]] against its officials.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ahmed |first1=Hamid Ould |title=Algeria cuts diplomatic relations with Morocco |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/algeria-says-cutting-diplomatic-ties-with-morocco-2021-08-24/#:%7E:text=Speaking%20at%20a%20news%20conference,on%20the%20Western%20Sahara%20issue |work=Reuters |date=25 August 2021 |language=en |access-date=14 September 2023 |archive-date=7 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907051009/https://www.reuters.com/world/algeria-says-cutting-diplomatic-ties-with-morocco-2021-08-24/#:%7E:text=Speaking%20at%20a%20news%20conference,on%20the%20Western%20Sahara%20issue |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Amnesty International]] found that two phones of Sahraoui human rights defender [[Aminatou Haidar]] were infected in November 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-09 |title=Morocco/Western Sahara: Activist targeted with Pegasus spyware in recent months – new evidence |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/03/morocco-western-sahara-activist-nso-pegasus/ |access-date=2025-01-26 |website=Amnesty International |language=en}}</ref>

On 8 September 2023, a 6.8 magnitude [[2023 Al Haouz earthquake|earthquake]] hit Morocco killing more than 2,800 people and injuring thousands. The [[Epicenter|epicentre]] of the quake was around 70&nbsp;km southwest of city of Marrakech.<ref>{{cite web |title=Timeline: The Deadly September 8 Earthquake in Morocco |url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2023/09/357589/timeline-the-deadly-september-8-earthquake-in-morocco |website=moroccoworldnews.com |date=10 September 2023 |access-date=12 September 2023 |archive-date=12 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230912063411/https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2023/09/357589/timeline-the-deadly-september-8-earthquake-in-morocco |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 10 December 2020, the [[Israel–Morocco normalization agreement|Israel–Morocco normalisation agreement]] was announced, and Morocco announced its intention to resume diplomatic relations with Israel.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=bin Taher |first1=Ahmed |last2=Barakat |first2=Mahmoud |date=December 20, 2020 |title=Morocco, Israel: 6 decades of secret ties, cooperation |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/morocco-israel-6-decades-of-secret-ties-cooperation/2083157 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240216052347/https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/morocco-israel-6-decades-of-secret-ties-cooperation/2083157 |archive-date=Feb 16, 2024 |website=Anadolu Ajansı}}</ref> Joint Declaration of the Kingdom of Morocco, the United States of America and the State of Israel was signed on 22 December 2020.<ref>{{cite web |date=22 December 2020 |title=Joint Declaration |url=https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Joint-Declaration-US-Morrocco-Israel.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240216044129/https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Joint-Declaration-US-Morrocco-Israel.pdf |archive-date=Feb 16, 2024 |website=state.gov}}</ref> The agreement was met with criticism due to the October 2023 [[Gaza war]]. Moroccan Foreign Minister [[Nasser Bourita]] argues that maintaining relations does not signify endorsement of Israeli government actions.<ref>{{Cite news |last=El Atti |first=Basma |date=5 November 2024 |title=Morocco reasserts ties with Israel for first time since Gaza war |url=https://www.newarab.com/news/morocco-reasserts-ties-israel-first-time-gaza-war |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250115012227/https://www.newarab.com/news/morocco-reasserts-ties-israel-first-time-gaza-war |archive-date=15 January 2025 |access-date=2025-01-26 |work=The New Arab |language=en-EN |url-status=live }}</ref>