The founder of La France insoumise is expected to arrive in the kingdom on Wednesday for a six-day tour. The goal: to renew dialogue with the Moroccan left. However, this trip takes place against the backdrop of a crisis between Paris and Rabat.

“It has been ten years since Jean-Luc came to Morocco,” say those close to the founder of La France insoumise (LFI), who is scheduled to embark on a tour of Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat, and Tangier from Wednesday, October 4th, to Monday, October 9th. This visit, planned "more than a year ago," according to Nabil Benabdellah, Secretary General of the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS), will allow the former presidential candidate to leave Paris, while his relative, Member of Parliament Sophia Chikirou, is at the center of several articles in the press and a judicial investigation concerning, in particular, suspicions of "aggravated fraud."

Jean-Luc Mélenchon is expected to travel on Wednesday to the Al-Haouz province, south of Marrakech, which was particularly affected by the earthquake that occurred on September 8th and claimed more than 3,000 lives. In the town of Amizmiz, at the foot of the High Atlas Mountains, he is scheduled to participate in the resumption of classes in tents and to communicate with residents, local officials, and representatives of associations.

“What interests him most is to understand how mutual aid arises and how the population organizes itself to participate in the reconstruction,” says Farida Amrani, LFI representative for Essonne and vice-president of the France-Morocco friendship group. She, along with Nabil Benabdellah and Mohammed Abdim, a former activist of the French Socialist Party who became an advisor to the Moroccan Minister of Investment, form the trio that prepared the "rebellious" leader's trip.

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Mr. Mélenchon's tour is scheduled to continue on Thursday in Casablanca, where a conference will be held on his latest book, "Doing Better! Towards a Citizens' Revolution," during which he will discuss cooperation between Mediterranean countries, particularly in the area of water. The following day, a meeting with elected officials and the mayor of Marrakech is planned in Rabat. An official meeting with Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch "may also be on the agenda," Nabil Benabdellah hopes.

On Sunday and Monday, Mr. Mélenchon is finally scheduled to travel to Tangier, where he was born in 1951 and lived until he was 11 years old. However, this part of the visit is "strictly private," according to those close to him.

The founder of La France insoumise is expected to arrive in the kingdom on Wednesday for a six-day tour. The goal: to renew dialogue with the Moroccan left. However, this trip takes place against the backdrop of a crisis between Paris and Rabat.

“It has been ten years since Jean-Luc came to Morocco,” say those close to the founder of La France insoumise (LFI), who is scheduled to embark on a tour of Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat, and Tangier from Wednesday, October 4th, to Monday, October 9th. This visit, planned "more than a year ago," according to Nabil Benabdellah, Secretary General of the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS), will allow the former presidential candidate to leave Paris, while his relative, Member of Parliament Sophia Chikirou, is at the center of several articles in the press and a judicial investigation concerning, in particular, suspicions of "aggravated fraud."

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Jean-Luc Mélenchon is expected to travel on Wednesday to the Al-Haouz province, south of Marrakech, which was particularly affected by the earthquake that occurred on September 8th and claimed more than 3,000 lives. In the town of Amizmiz, at the foot of the High Atlas Mountains, he is scheduled to participate in the resumption of classes in tents and to communicate with residents, local officials, and representatives of associations.

"What interests him most is understanding how mutual aid arises and how populations self-organize to participate in reconstruction," says Farida Amrani, LFI representative for Essonne and vice-president of the France-Morocco friendship group. She, along with Nabil Benabdellah and Mohammed Abdim, a former activist from the French Socialist Party who became an advisor to the Moroccan Minister of Investment, formed the team that prepared the itinerary for this "rebellious" leader. Return to his homeland Mr. Mélenchon's tour is scheduled to continue on Thursday in Casablanca, where a conference will be held on his latest book, "Doing Better! Towards a Citizen Revolution," during which he will discuss cooperation between Mediterranean countries, particularly in the area of water resources. The following day, meetings are planned in Rabat with elected officials and the mayor of Marrakech. An official meeting with Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch is "possibly also on the agenda," according to Nabil Benabdellah. On Sunday and Monday, Mr. Mélenchon is scheduled to travel to Tangier, where he was born in 1951 and lived until the age of 11. However, this part of the visit is "strictly private," according to those close to him. "Neither he nor I have been authorized to replace our officials," says Nabil Benabdellah. He declined to comment further on this topic, and I do not expect him to appear in this report. However, I am aware that within Nupes [the left-wing alliance in France], particularly within the Communist Party and the Green Party, there are many members of parliament who support the Polisario Front. Another unknown surrounding the founder of LFI's visit to Morocco is: when will Emmanuel Macron first visit Morocco? It is ironic that the event organized by François Hollande in April 2013 took place just weeks after a visit to Rabat by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, then the leader of the Left Party. Even after six years in office as President of the Republic, he is still waiting for his turn.