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A planned trade corridor linking the landlocked Sahel to the Atlantic is at the heart of an ambitious Moroccan project to tackle regional instability and consolidate its grip on disputed Western Sahara.The “Atlantic Initiative” promises ocean access to Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger through a new $1.3-billion port in the former Spanish colony claimed by the pro-independence Polisario Front but largely controlled by Morocco.But the project remains fraught with challenges at a time when military coups in the Sahel states have brought new leaderships to power intent on overturning longstanding political alignments following years of jihadist violence.The Moroccan initiative aims to “substantially transform the economy of these countries” and “the region”, said King Mohammed VI when announcing it in late 2023.The “Dakhla Atlantic” port, scheduled for completion at El Argoub by 2028, also serves Rabat’s goal of cementing its grip on Western Sahara after US President Donald Trump recognised its sovereignty over the territory in 2020.Morocco’s regional rival Algeria backs the Polisario but has seen its relations with Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger fray in recent months after the downing a Malian drone.Military coups over the past five years have seen the three Sahel states pivot towards Russia in a bid to restore their sovereignty and control over natural resources after decades within the sphere of influence of their former colonial ruler France.French troops were forced to abandon their bases in the three countries, ending their role in the fight against jihadists who have found sanctuary in the vast semi-arid region on the southern edge of the Sahara. – ‘Godsend’ -After both the African Union and West African bloc ECOWAS imposed economic sanctions on the new juntas, Morocco emerged as an early ally, with Niger calling the megaproject “a godsend”.”Morocco was one of the first countries where we found understanding at a time when ECOWAS and other countries were on the verge of waging war against us,” Niger’s Foreign Minister Bakary Yaou Sangare said in April during a visit to Rabat alongside his Malian and Burkinabe counterparts.The Sahel countries established a bloc of their own — the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) — in September 2023 but have remained dependent on the ports of ECOWAS countries like Benin, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Togo.Rising tensions with the West African bloc could restrict their access to those ports, boosting the appeal of the alternative trade outlet being offered by Rabat.- ‘Many steps to take’ – Morocco has been seeking to position itself as a middleman between Europe and the Sahel states, said Beatriz Mesa, a professor at the International University of Rabat.With jihadist networks like Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group striking ever deeper into sub-Saharan Africa, the security threat has intensified since the departure of French-led troops.Morocco was now “profiting from these failures by placing itself as a reliable Global South partner”, Mesa said.Its initiative has won the backing of key actors including the United States, France and the Gulf Arab states, who could provide financial support, according to specialist journal Afrique(s) en mouvement.But for now the proposed trade corridor is little more than an aspiration, with thousands of kilometres (many hundreds of miles) of desert road-building needed to turn it into a reality.”There are still many steps to take,” since a road and rail network “doesn’t exist”, said Seidik Abba, head of the Sahel-focused think tank CIRES.Rida Lyammouri of the Policy Center for the New South said the road route from Morocco through Western Sahara to Mauritania is “almost complete”, even though it has been targeted by Polisario fighters. Abdelmalek Alaoui, head of the Moroccan Institute for Strategic Intelligence, said it could cost as much as $1 billion to build a land corridor through Mauritania, Mali and Niger all the way to Chad, 3,100 kilometres (1,900 miles) to the east.And even if the construction work is completed, insecurity is likely to pose a persistent threat to the corridor’s viability, he said.

Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed 37 people in the devastated territory on Saturday, including at least nine children who died in strikes.Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP 35 people were killed in seven Israeli drone and air strikes in various locations, and two others by Israeli fire while waiting for food aid in the Netzarim zone in central Gaza.He said the dead included three children who were killed in an air strike on a home in Jabalia, in northern Gaza.Bassal said at least six more children died in a neighbourhood in the northeast of Gaza City, including some in an air strike near a school where displaced people were sheltering.The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment by Saturday evening.As international criticism mounted over civilian deaths in Gaza, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Saturday that his country “stands ready, Europe as well, to contribute to the safety of food distribution” in Gaza.Such an initiative, he added, would also deal with Israeli concerns that armed groups such as Hamas were intercepting the aid.Barrot did not provide any details on how France could help secure aid distribution to Gaza’s civilians.Restrictions on media in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers.AFP images showed mourners weeping over the bodies of seven people, including at least two children, wrapped in white shrouds and blankets at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.Video footage filmed from southern Israel showed smoke rising over northern Gaza after blasts.Other AFP footage filmed in Gaza City showed a cloud of smoke rising from buildings after a strike.In Jabalia, an AFP photographer saw civil defence rescuers aiding a man with blood on his back.- Gaza ceasefire drive -Israel launched its offensive in Gaza in October 2023 in response to a deadly attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas.After claiming victory in a 12-day war against Iran that ended with a ceasefire on June 24, the Israeli military said it would refocus on its offensive in Gaza, where Palestinian militants still hold Israeli hostages.Qatar said on Saturday that it and fellow mediators the United States and Egypt were engaging with Israel and Hamas to build on momentum from the ceasefire with Iran and work towards a Gaza truce.”If we don’t utilise this window of opportunity and this momentum, it’s an opportunity lost amongst many in the near past. We don’t want to see that again,” said Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari.Hamas’s October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 56,412 people, also mostly civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.

Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Israel on Saturday to demand that the government secure the release of 49 hostages still held in Gaza, AFP reporters saw.It was the first rally by hostages’ relatives since Israel agreed a ceasefire with Iran on June 24 after a 12-day war, raising hopes that the truce would lend momentum to efforts to end the Gaza conflict and bring the hostages home.Emergency restrictions in place during the war with Iran had prevented the normally weekly rally from taking place.A crowd filled “Hostages Square” in central Tel Aviv, waving Israeli flags and placards bearing the pictures of Israelis seized by Palestinian militants during Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.The deadly attacks prompted Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch a fierce military offensive in Gaza, vowing to crush Hamas and free the hostages.Twenty months and several hostage exchanges later, 49 of those seized are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead — raising pressure on Netanyahu’s government.”The war with Iran ended in an agreement. The war in Gaza must end the same way — with a deal that brings everyone home,” said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the main body representing the relatives, in a statement to mark the rally.Some demonstrators called on US President Donald Trump to help secure a ceasefire in Gaza that would see the captives freed, hailing his backing for Israel in the conflict with Iran.”President Trump, end the crisis in Gaza. Nobel is waiting,” read one placard, in reference to a possible peace prize for the US leader.”I call on Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump,” one released hostage, Liri Albag, said at the rally.”You made brave decisions on Iran. Now make the brave decision to end the war in Gaza and bring them home.”

Six Israelis were detained for assaulting soldiers near a village in the occupied West Bank where deadly clashes with Palestinians erupted this week, the military said on Saturday.The fresh violence around the central West Bank village of Kafr Malik came after the Palestinian health ministry said three men died there in an attack by Israeli settlers on Wednesday.Soldiers went to disperse a gathering of Israelis near the village overnight, the military said in a statement.”Dozens of Israeli civilians hurled stones toward them and physically and verbally assaulted the soldiers, including the battalion commander,” it said.”In addition, the civilians vandalised and damaged security forces’ vehicles, and attempted to ram the security forces,” it added.”The security forces dispersed the gathering, and six Israeli civilians were apprehended and transferred to the Israel Police for further processing.”Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military declined to say whether those arrested were residents of Israeli settlements in the territory, occupied by Israel since 1967.The military referred the query to the Israeli police, which was not available to comment.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “firmly” condemned the violence in a statement, demanding an “in-depth investigation”.”Anyone who broke the law or acted against our soldiers must be prosecuted with the utmost severity,” he added.- West Bank violence -On Wednesday the Palestinian health ministry said three men died in Kafr Malik in an attack by settlers.AFP journalists saw several hundred people gather for the three men’s funerals on Thursday.The Palestinian foreign ministry alleged “official complicity” by Israel in Wednesday’s attack, in a message on X.”Israeli occupation forces prevented ambulance crews from reaching the wounded and obstructed civil defence teams from entering the village for several hours, allowing fires ignited by the settlers to spread and destroy dozens of homes,” it said.The Israeli military did not respond to a request by AFP to comment on those claims.A military spokesman told AFP its forces intervened on Wednesday after “dozens of Israeli civilians set fire to property in Kafr Malik” and a “confrontation” involving “mutual rock-hurling” broke out between Israelis and Palestinians.Referring to action by the Palestinians, the spokesman said: “Several terrorists fired from within Kafr Malik and hurled rocks at the forces, who opened fire toward the source of fire and the rock-hurlers.”Five Israelis were arrested, the military added.Left-leaning Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the five were released on Thursday. Police did not comment.Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal under international law.Their growth has accelerated since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to office in 2022 in an alliance with far-right parties who wish to annexe the territory outright.Countries including Britain and France and several human rights groups have condemned settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.Violence has surged in the West Bank since Israel launched its offensive in Gaza in response to the October 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel.The Palestinian Authority says Israeli troops or settlers have killed 945 Palestinians, many of them militants but also scores of civilians, since the start of the Gaza war, according to Palestinian health ministry figures.Israel says 35 of its soldiers and civilians have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military raids since that date.

Iran held a state funeral Saturday for some 60 scientists and commanders killed in its war with Israel, after its top diplomat condemned the latest White House tirade against supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.State television aired footage of thousands of black-clad mourners chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” as they held aloft photographs of the dead.”Boom, boom, Tel Aviv,” read one banner, referring to the retaliatory missile fire launched by Iran against Israel during their 12-day war.State television showed mock-ups of ballistic missiles like those Iran fired at Israel alongside coffins draped in Iranian flags.President Masoud Pezeshkian attended the ceremony as did Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Khamenei who used a walking cane after being wounded in an Israeli strike in the war, the television images showed.But the supreme leader himself stayed away. Khamenei had delivered a video address on Thursday to proclaim “victory” in the conflict which ended with a truce earlier this week.- No surrender -As the funeral procession wound its way across the spawling metropolis, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi paid tribute to the war effort in a post on his Instagram account.”Iranians gave blood, not land; gave their loved ones, not honour; they withstood a thousand-ton rain of bombs, but did not surrender,” the top diplomat said, adding that Iran does not recognise the word “surrender.”Among the dead was armed forces chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri, who will be buried with his wife and journalist daughter who were killed alongside him.Nuclear scientist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, also killed in the attacks, will be laid to rest with his wife.Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami, killed on the first day of the war, will be buried on Sunday.Of the 60 people who are to be laid to rest after the ceremony, four are children and four are women.- ‘RUN to ‘Daddy” -The United States carried out strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites last weekend, joining its ally Israel’s bombardment of Iran’s nuclear facilities.Both Israel and Iran claimed victory in the war.Israel said it had “thwarted Iran’s nuclear project” and threatened renewed military action if it attempted to rebuild it.Washington insisted its strikes had set Iran’s nuclear programme back by years.Khamenei said they had done “nothing significant”. Trump launched an outspoken tirade against the Iranian leader on his Truth Social platform on Friday for claiming to have won the war. The US president claimed that he had had known “EXACTLY where (Khamenei) was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces… terminate his life”.”I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH, and he does not have to say, ‘THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!'” Trump said.Trump said he had been working in recent days on the possible removal of sanctions against Iran, one of Tehran’s main demands.”But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more.”The Iranian foreign minister hit back on Saturday, using the US president’s trademark capitals.”If President Trump is genuine about wanting a deal, he should put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran’s Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei,” Araghchi posted on X.”The Great and Powerful Iranian People, who showed the world that the Israeli regime had NO CHOICE but to RUN to ‘Daddy’ to avoid being flattened by our Missiles, do not take kindly to Threats and Insults.”Israeli strikes killed at least 627 civilians, the Iranian health ministry said. Iran’s retaliatory fire on Israel killed 28 people, according to Israeli figures.After the US strikes, Trump said new nuclear talks with Iran were set to begin next week. But Iran denied any such plan, and its parliament passed legislation this week suspending cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran held a state funeral service Saturday for around 60 people, including its military commanders, killed in its war with Israel, after Tehran’s top diplomat condemned Donald Trump’s comments on supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as “unacceptable”.The proceedings started at 8:00 am local time (0430 GMT) in the capital Tehran as government offices and many businesses were closed on Saturday for the occasion.”The ceremony to honour the martyrs has officially started,” state TV said, showing footage of thousands of people donning black clothes, waving Iranian flags and holding pictures of the slain military commanders. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, along with other senior government officials and military commanders — including Esmail Qaani, head of the Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of the Revolutionary Guards — attended the event.Senior advisor to Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Shamkhani, who was targeted and wounded during the war, also took part in the ceremony, using a walking cane, state TV showed.Images also displayed mock-ups of Iranian ballistic missiles as well as coffins draped in Iranian flags and bearing portraits of the deceased commanders in uniform near Enghelab (Revolution) Square in central Tehran, where the march began.- Commanders, scientists to be buried -A patriotic eulogy blared from loudspeakers as the procession set out across the sprawling metropolis toward Azadi (Freedom) Square, 11 kilometres (seven miles) away.”Boom boom Tel Aviv,” read one banner, referring to Iranian missiles fired at Israel during the conflict in retaliation for its attacks on Iran.Among the dead is Mohammad Bagheri, a major general in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and the second-in-command of the armed forces after the Iranian leader.He will be buried alongside his wife and daughter, a journalist for a local media outlet, all killed in an Israeli attack.Nuclear scientist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, also killed in the attacks, will be buried with his wife.Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami, who was killed on the first day of the war, will also be laid to rest after Saturday’s ceremony — which will also honour at least 30 other top commanders.Of the 60 people who are to be laid to rest after the ceremony, four are children and four are women.- No sanction relief -The United States had carried out strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites last weekend, joining its ally Israel’s bombardments of Iran’s nuclear programme in the 12-day conflict launched on June 13.Both Israel and Iran claimed victory in the war that ended with a ceasefire, with Iranian leader Khamenei downplaying the US strikes as having done “nothing significant”.  In a tirade on his Truth Social platform, Trump blasted Tehran Friday for claiming to have won the war. He also claimed to have known “EXACTLY where he (Khamenei) was sheltered, and would not let Israel, or the U.S. Armed Forces… terminate his life”.”I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH, and he does not have to say, ‘THANK YOU, PRESIDENT TRUMP!'” the US leader said.Trump added he had been working in recent days on the possible removal of sanctions against Iran, one of Tehran’s main demands.”But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more,” Trump said.Hitting back at Trump Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the Republican president’s comments on Khamenei. “If President Trump is genuine about wanting a deal, he should put aside the disrespectful and unacceptable tone towards Iran’s Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei,” Araghchi posted on social media platform X.”The Great and Powerful Iranian People, who showed the world that the Israeli regime had NO CHOICE but to RUN to ‘Daddy’ to avoid being flattened by our Missiles, do not take kindly to Threats and Insults.”The Israeli strikes on Iran killed at least 627 civilians, Tehran’s health ministry said. Iran’s attacks on Israel killed 28 people, according to Israeli figures.- ‘Imminent threat’ -During his first term in office, Trump pulled out in 2018 of a landmark nuclear deal — negotiated by former US president Barack Obama.The deal that Trump had abandoned aimed to make it practically impossible for Iran to build an atomic bomb, while at the same time allowing it to pursue a civil nuclear programme.Iran, which insists its nuclear programme is only for civilian purposes, stepped up its activities after Trump withdrew from the agreement.After the US strikes, Trump said negotiations for a new deal were set to begin next week. But Tehran denied a resumption, and leader Khamenei said Trump had “exaggerated events in unusual ways”, rejecting US claims Iran’s nuclear programme had been set back by decades.Israel had claimed it had “thwarted Iran’s nuclear project” during the 12-day war. But its foreign minister reiterated Friday the world was obliged to stop Tehran from developing an atomic bomb.”The international community now has an obligation to prevent, through any effective means, the world’s most extreme regime from obtaining the most dangerous weapon,” Gideon Saar wrote on X.