Karima Benyaich (Tetouan, 1961) has been the ambassador of Morocco in Spain since 2018 and is the first woman to hold this position. A career diplomat, she has developed much of her career at the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
She is the daughter of Fadel Benyaich, personal physician of King Hassan II (who decided to take care of his children after his assassination during the failed coup attempt in Sjkirat in 1971) and Carmen Millán, of Spanish origin. She trained in Canada, where she obtained a degree in Law and a master’s in Economic Sciences from the University of Montreal. In addition to Arabic, she speaks Spanish, French, English, and Portuguese.
Before her arrival in Madrid, she developed much of her diplomatic career in the field of relations between Morocco and the Iberian Peninsula. In 2008, she was appointed ambassador to Portugal, a position she held for a decade. During those years, she also held responsibilities in organizations linked to Euro-Mediterranean dialogue and international cooperation.
In place of her brother Fadel Benyaich, in June 2018 she assumed the Embassy of Morocco in Spain, one of the most relevant diplomatic representations for Rabat. Her mandate has coincided with some of the most intense stages of the bilateral relationship, including the diplomatic crisis of 2021 and the subsequent normalization of ties between the two countries.