International

Macron: France will accompany Morocco in the defense of its autonomy plan for the Sahara

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that his country will accompany Morocco in international bodies to defend the autonomy plan proposed by Rabat in 2007 as a solution to the Western Sahara conflict.

“Anchored in history, respectful of reality and promising for the future. This position is what France will implement to accompany Morocco in international instances,” Macron said in a speech delivered before the two chambers of the Moroccan Parliament on the second day of his state visit to Morocco.

The only basis for resolving the Sahara conflict

Macron again defended “autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty” as the “only basis” to resolve the conflict of the former Spanish colony, words that provoked the applause of the parliamentarians, who stood in the hemicycle.

“I reaffirm it here before you: for France, the present and future of this territory is part of the framework of Moroccan sovereignty,” said Macron, who recalled the letter he sent to King Mohamed VI on July 30 in which he expressed France’s new vision regarding this conflict.

Macron said that Morocco and France are “faithful allies in murky times” and said that his country “has never failed Morocco in all the existential issues it faces.”

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

According to the French president, at the head of these issues is the conflict of the former Spanish colony, administered 80% by Morocco and whose sovereignty is disputed by the Saharawi independence fighters of the Polisario Front.

Macron: we have decided to write a new book

The French president specified that France’s new position on the Sahara “is not hostile to anyone” but “allows us to open a new page among us as with all those who want to act in a framework of regional cooperation in the Mediterranean with the neighboring countries of Morocco and with the European Union.”

Macron said that he has agreed with King Mohamed VI to “write a new book together” in their bilateral relationship to face “the challenges of the century,” a “historical opportunity and a strategic duty” for both countries.

His state visit to Morocco puts an end to almost three years of diplomatic crisis and one of its high points has been the speech before parliamentarians, in which also the phenomenon of irregular immigration and the need for a “natural and fluid cooperation in consular material.

“This is a matter of mutual trust,” he said, and emphasized that “for many French people it is one of the most important expectations,” so he indicated that “results” are needed.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

International

Peruvian presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra dies in campaign road accident

Presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra, representing the Partido de los Trabajadores y Emprendedores (PTE) in Peru, died in a traffic accident while traveling to a campaign event, local authorities confirmed Sunday.

Becerra, who also served as president of the centrist political party, ranked among the lowest in opinion polls in a crowded field of more than 30 candidates competing in the presidential election scheduled for April 12.

Recent surveys place Rafael López Aliaga at the top of voter preferences.

The accident occurred near the town of Ayacucho, in southern Peru, when the vehicle carrying the candidate overturned for reasons that remain under investigation.

“The candidate Becerra has died,” Balvin Huamani, mayor of the district of Pilpichaca, told RPP radio.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

According to Huamani, he personally transported the 61-year-old candidate to a local health center, where doctors confirmed his death.

The Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (JNE) expressed condolences over Becerra’s passing and wished a speedy recovery to the three people who were traveling with him and were injured in the crash.

International

Noboa intensifies anti-cartel crackdown as violence persists in Ecuador

A close ally of Washington, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has pursued a hardline security strategy against cocaine cartels for more than two years, yet homicide, disappearance and extortion rates remain high across the country.

Between Sunday night and the morning of March 31, Ecuador’s armed forces will launch a “very strong offensive” with “advisory support” from the United States, Interior Minister John Reimberg announced Tuesday.

The government has kept details of the operation confidential and has not confirmed whether U.S. troops will be deployed on Ecuadorian soil, as has occurred at times during Noboa’s administration.

As part of the security measures, residents in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, and El Oro will be subject to a nightly curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time for the next two weeks.

“We are in a war,” Reimberg said, urging citizens to remain indoors. “Do not take risks. Stay home and allow the security forces and our allies to do the work that must be done.”

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Although Ecuador does not produce cocaine, it has become a major departure point for drugs heading to the United States. Meanwhile, the violence associated with trafficking has increasingly affected the local population.

Bordering the world’s largest cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru, Ecuador has gone from being considered a relatively peaceful country to recording one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America—52 killings per 100,000 inhabitants—according to the **Observatory of Organized Crime.

International

Peruvian presidential candidate proposes death penalty amid crime surge

Peru is facing an unprecedented surge in crime ahead of its presidential election scheduled for April 12, with violence fueled by extortion networks and a wave of contract killings linked to organized crime.

Police data show that 2,200 homicides tied to organized crime were recorded in 2025, while extortion complaints increased by 19%, underscoring the growing security crisis in the South American nation.

Amid this backdrop, presidential candidate Álvarez has proposed reinstating the death penalty if elected, arguing that extreme measures are needed to curb the violence.

To implement the proposal, Álvarez said Peru would withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights—also known as the Pact of San José—which the country signed in 1978. The agreement prevents member states that have abolished capital punishment from reinstating it.

Currently, Peruvian law only allows the death penalty in cases of treason during wartime.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

“We have to leave the Pact of San José and apply the death penalty in Peru because those miserable criminals don’t deserve to live,” Álvarez told AFP during a campaign stop at a market in Callao, the port city neighboring Lima.

“An iron fist against those criminals,” he added, proposing to declare hitmen as military targets.

During the campaign event, Álvarez walked through stalls selling vegetables, groceries, and fish, greeting vendors while musicians played cumbia music nearby.

The 62-year-old candidate, who spent more than four decades working in television as a comedian, is a newcomer to politics and is running for president under the País para Todos party.

Polls place him fifth in voter preference with nearly 4% support in a fragmented race featuring 36 candidates.