New Year’s Eve and CAN 2026: Morocco spent the New Year’s Eve under very high surveillance

Faced with the dual challenge of the year-end celebrations and the hosting of the 2025 CAN, the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) has combed the major cities of the country. In Casablanca, a bustling metropolis, a rigorous action plan made it possible to secure sensitive neighborhoods, tourist areas and hotels housing African teams. Judicial and administrative roadblocks, supported by mobile patrols, filtered traffic all night long to ensure smooth traffic flow. The same was true in Tangier, the host city of the competition, where surveillance was strengthened at the city’s entrances and around gathering places to manage the influx of supporters.

Marrakech, the epicenter of national tourism at this time, received special attention. Rapid intervention units and pedestrian patrols criss-crossed the Medina and Jamaa El-Fna square, while a specific road safety system tried to prevent night-time accidents. The security effort extended to the entire territory, from Al Hoceima to Khénifra, via Oujda and Béni Mellal, mobilizing jointly the Police, the Royal Gendarmerie and the Auxiliary Forces. In the southern provinces, particularly in Laâyoune and Guelmim, a strict territorial network was set up to secure intersections and main arteries.

For the authorities, this massive deployment was primarily preventive. The stated objective of the DGSN was to ensure a visible and reassuring presence, allowing Moroccans and foreign visitors to celebrate the transition to 2026 in a climate of tranquility, without hindering freedom of movement.