At least 32 people lost their lives this Saturday morning in a road accident on the axis linking Cairo to Alexandria in northern Egypt, in the governorate of Beheira.
The collision took place between a bus and cars. Several vehicles involved in the accident were charred on the road, the asphalt of which was partly burned according to these images relayed on social networks. Some were still on fire.
This tragedy would have left at least 60 injured, some of the victims were waiting on the ground for the arrival of the rescue teams. Some people tried as best they could to help the victims in this thick cloud of black smoke.
According to local sources, at least 20 ambulances were sent to the scene of the accident. The injured were transferred to a hospital in Wadi el-Natrun, while others to Nubaria, nearly 79 kilometers from Alexandria, according to information from the Ministry of Health.
The Moroccan city of Sidi Ifni: natural splendor and historical glory
Rabat : As long as summer has decided to prolong its stay among us, even in the height of autumn, we will not find anything more beautiful and wonderful than entering the city of Sidi Ifni through its charming beaches, and we choose “Mir Al-Laft”, which is charming by all standards and captures the hearts of lovers of natural tourism. From the first sight.
Entering the city of Sidi Ifni for the purpose of tourism requires preparation and psychological and physical preparation to receive plenty of healthy sunlight, stunning landscapes, and divine essences embodied in every grain of sand of its magnificent beaches and all its terrain. It also requires knowledge of the house and its esteemed people, its location, and all the details of its existence related to its shape. It is close to all the surrounding and neighboring areas, so we carry a light backpack and start the tour in this good city and fortified castle.
Geography of Baha
There is no doubt that the city of Sidi Ifni is truly a jewel in the middle of Tiznit and Guelmim, Bab al-Sahara, and it is thus the unifying university of Sahrawi and Sousian tribes, forming a middle bridge between the beginning of the Hassani depth of the Moroccan Sahara, and the world lights of Souss, as Mokhtar Soussi called it.
It overlooks the Atlantic coast. It tells the uncomplicated story of its name, as it is derived from the shrine of Sidi Ali Ifni. It is the capital of the province located in the Guelmim-Oued Noun region, and is about 50 km away from Bab al-Sahara. The Spaniards fell in love with it until they gave it a second name that did not last long. It is “Santa Cruz de Lamar, Pequeña”.
The truth is that the person searching for information related to this distinguished city will be very confused, as the references are available and the writings are many, some of which delve into the geographical location, others that talk about the economy, and some of which tell the story of resistance to colonialism, not to mention the details of its natural charms that leave no room for the visitor except to renew the promise. She has had multiple other visits.
Historically, the Spanish colonization of Sidi Ifni became a reality in 1934, and they worked hard to transform it into a city similar to the cities with Iberian architecture, which is evident in the landmarks we find in a number of buildings, but all of that will end after the uprising of the Ait Ba Amrane tribes, to which the population belongs.
The story of this uprising, which broke out in 1957, is an eloquent lesson in belonging to the motherland, Morocco, because the spark that ignited it was the Spanish colonial authorities’ attempt to naturalize the population and force them to join the Spanish state.
The uprising was a strong popular uprising from the Ait Ba Amrane tribes, with which the resistance fighters set out and took control of the Spanish army centers located outside the city. After that, they were able to impose a siege on it and it turned into a war that the Spaniards called the “Ifni War.”
The siege ended with the recovery of Sidi Ifni in 1969, especially in light of the steadfastness of the Ait Baamrane tribes and their continuation of the uprising, the developments of which were reported in international newspapers, which ended years of colonialism, to be a good omen for the rest of the regions of the Moroccan Sahara that fell under colonialism, where “the national historical memory of the Ait Baamrane tribes recorded their presence.” The strong and effective contribution to the victorious launch of the Liberation Army in the southern provinces of the Kingdom in 1956 to complete national independence and liberate the southern regions that were suffering under the yoke of foreign colonialism,” as confirmed by the “High Commission for the Veterans of Resistance and Members of the Liberation Army” in a statement last year 2022 on the occasion of the commemoration of the 53rd anniversary of the recovery of Sidi. Ifni.
The Green March took place on November 6, 1975, to evacuate the last Spanish soldier from the Moroccan Sahara on February 28, 1976.
This glorious history of the city of Sidi Ifni gives it the prestige of time and place, and it appears like a badge of pride adorning its chest as it opens it to visitors with all sincerity. Generosity and comfort, but very modest and simple, with no complications in it or in its inhabitants. Its historical landmarks dating back to the colonial period, distributed across buildings whose number does not exceed 11, sum up much more than that number. It sums up the steadfastness of the Ait Ba Amrane tribes, who are united by blood, lineage, and belonging to the motherland, Morocco. .
Features of the city
The features of Sidi Ifni's tangible history are embodied in a few buildings, most of which date back to the Spanish colonial period. We find the consulate, as well as the cinema building, the municipality, the church, the lighthouse, and the cable car, some of which were used to house the headquarters of Moroccan institutions, such as the current municipal building. One of the churches was also converted into a court building.
Anyone contemplating these historical landmarks must stop carefully at the Sidi Ifni Lighthouse, which is known locally as “El Faro” and its location in the center of the city. Its shape is a square tower with a gallery and a lantern rising from two floors, according to what was stated in one of the international encyclopedias.
Transit from this recent history passes through the cable car and Sidi Ifni Airport, which the people of the city call “L’Epicion” and is currently used as a helicopter landing pad for transporting patients and urgent cases from the city.
All this historical and present pulse is embraced by a city with a cold desert climate with moderate and warm weather most times of the year. As for the rainfall, it is weak for the people of the house, the people of Sidi Ifni. The city is the metropolis of the Ait Ba Amrane tribes, which consist of Ait Nass, Ait Azza, and the people of Seboya. Id Chaoud, Ait Bouyassine, Tjajat, Ait Karmoun, Ait Ali Natakout, and other tribes form the unique necklace of the original tree, which is Ait Ba Amrane.
As for the language, it is Arabic (the Moroccan colloquial language), and a second percentage of the population speaks the Amazigh language (Tashalhit), which is the language of the people of Souss. As for the economy of Sidi Ifni, it consists of an important fish wealth, which includes fishing, drying, and canning, and we find a port for exporting these fish, especially sardines, and what it provides. Job opportunities for local labor.
In addition to fishing, the unique argan tree and the aloe vera plant stand tall, providing seasonal employment opportunities for women in the countryside in particular.
And to another source of the economy, the talk here is about tourism and its prosperity in the summer, similar to the rest of the Moroccan tourist cities, especially those of a marine nature and those located on the coasts. Sidi Ifni has its own story with natural charm, as it has very wonderful beaches, including Miralfat, Lakzira, and the White Beach.
Another angle of a tempting scene
This city, built on the slopes overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, welcomes its visitor with the whiteness that surrounds most of its buildings, and offers him delicious food and drink, especially sardine tagine, and adds to it a dose of generous human serenity. Its small area does not seem like that when the visitor begins to wander around. Throughout it, the steps lead him to the center of the city, where the court, which was formerly a cathedral, and the municipal headquarters, which was a palace for the governor, and in that path between a modern history and a beautiful present, palm trees are lined along the road with a wonderful garden and villa residences.
The calm that restores focus to the mind after the noise of other cities, tempts people to stay and writers have other goals, such as finishing a novel or a collection of poetry. It is a corridor of splendor that passes through buildings that do not disturb the natural view, because they are surrounded by all possible natural magic, to the beaches where it was said. There was much praise, and her photos appeared on the most famous and attractive posters across international tourism platforms.
These beaches oblige the writer of the city to give it its due and more, so standing at the thresholds of its temptation is very essential, like a station to regain one’s breath and continue moving forward in life, and we enter the beach of Al-Jazira, and its soft sand spread over rocks that nature has carved very beautifully, like a divine painting in which humans have nothing to do.
Other beaches, such as Al-Karima and Warzak, make you continue to pass through the same temptation, but Mir Al-Laft beach, alone is temptation upon temptation, there is no place to breathe without feeling the groans of beauty rushing between inhalation and exhalation, and thus it deserves to be described as one of the most beautiful Moroccan beaches, and the description would not be fair. This gem is because, firstly, words fail, and secondly, there is no comparison with a field visit in which the memory stores a lot of beauty, splendor, and mesmerizing images.
Sidi Ifni and openness
Another dimension to seeing Sidi Ifni, the one to which the researcher Hussein Hadidi devoted an article in the magazine “Lexus” when he confirmed that “the Ait Baamrane region in the Sidi Ifni region, from the 17th century AD until the 20th century AD, witnessed openness to neighboring areas, both southern ones, especially with the Saharan Tekna tribes. Or with the Susian tribes in the north, especially the Sahel tribes, Lakhsas and Ait Brayim.
The researcher explains the aspects of this openness, in that it “included several social, cultural, economic, and political fields, dictated by several natural, spatial, and temporal circumstances, and among its results was a historical record full of diverse events that distinguished this region in its neighborhood relations, and marked its history full of national glories and heroic epics. What is striking is Since the beginning of modern history, the Ait Baamrane region has witnessed extensive intermarriage and human integration with its tribal neighbors.
The angle of the scientific and cognitive vision was distinctive when the researcher referred to it in his article, and he says that “in addition to the development of science in the region through the openness of its people at first to the Susian and Wadnoun scientific schools, and their obtaining scientific licenses that enabled them to open pioneering scientific schools in the urban field, generations of jurists emerged. And the scholars, who maintained good neighbourliness, solidarity and interdependence in periods of hardship and prosperity with neighboring fields.”
Hussein Hadidi reviews the images recorded in history books of “solidarity and strong openness towards the neighborhood, even in the darkest circumstances, on the eve of the arrival of the colonial powers invading the region and trying to isolate it from its regional and geographical surroundings, as these tribes confronted these colonial plans and stood side by side in the face of the colonial powers and clashed with them.” In several battles, they suffered several losses with simple weapons and with strong determination, taking advantage of the colonialist’s ignorance of the region’s terrain. The Ba’amranis, old and young, joined the ranks of the resistance, rejecting the naturalization policy in 1947 AD and clinging to their patriotism. A number of leaders were arrested and exiled south to the center of Dakhla and the Canary Islands, and after the return of the king. From his exile, after Morocco gained its independence, the Baamranis continued their struggle. They joined the ranks of the Guelmim Liberation Army and fought several battles against Spanish colonialism, ending with the independence of Sidi Ifni on June 30, 1969.
The focus on this historical corridor is justified because it is unique in its kind and secondly because it expresses the strength of loyalty to the closest geographical environment and thus the strength of belonging to the national environment represented by Morocco.
This is the city of Sidi Ifni, which has combined all the causes of national feelings, natural splendor, human nobility, historical glory, solidity and strength in defending and adhering to identity.
The head of the Egyptian Vodafone company confirms his company's readiness to deploy communications stations in Gaza
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Telecommunications Company "Vodafone", Hani Mahmoud, announced that the company has prepared mobile stations to transport them to the Egyptian border with the Gaza Strip, to restore the Internet and communications networks after they were cut off.
Mahmoud said: “Today, the International Telecommunication Union issued a resolution stressing the importance of restoring communications and the Internet to Gaza, because this will save the victims and the injured.”
He added: "We are here in Egypt. Our company is prepared with some mobile stations that we always use in matches and gatherings to transport them to the border areas between Egypt and Gaza, and we are coordinating with government agencies to implement this."
In the same context, American businessman Elon Musk announced that he would provide recognized international organizations in the Gaza Strip with access to communications from the Starlink satellite network .
Musk explained on the “X” platform (formerly Twitter): “Starlink will provide communication to internationally recognized organizations that provide assistance in Gaza.”
The massive and intense Israeli raids on Friday evening caused the interruption of communications and Internet services in the Gaza Strip, and a number of international institutions, the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the Palestinian Red Crescent announced that they were unable to provide any services in light of the interruption of communication with their units.
On Friday evening, the Palestinian Telecommunications Company "Jawwal" confirmed the complete cessation of communications and Internet services in the Gaza Strip, after Israel announced the expansion of its ground operations in the Strip.
Newspaper: Johnson will “end” the Ukrainian counterattack
The South Chin Morning Post writes that new Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson will "end" the Ukrainian counterattack.
Johnson demands that the White House submit a report on funds provided to Ukraine
The newspaper said : “Johnson opposes continuing to fund Kiev, and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives could abandon implementing US President Joe Biden’s demands to allocate aid to both Ukraine and Israel.”
She added that military support from the West is currently a lifeline for Ukraine.
She continued: If the United States stops helping Kiev, the European Union will not be able to fill the void, even if it wants to do so. "The economies of all European countries, including Germany, have been suffering from major problems in recent years."
She pointed out that sanctions against Russia only lead to counterproductive results, as its economy has surpassed that of Germany.
The newspaper concluded: “If economic sanctions and military operations do not succeed, a ceasefire will be the only option.”
US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson called for the $105 billion requested by the US administration to be divided between Israel and Ukraine, demanding that the White House submit a report on the money spent on Kiev.