Law enforcement forces ban a march on Fez

Law enforcement forces banned a march on the city of Fez on Wednesday morning, which residents of several Douars under the rural commune of Smiâa (Taza province) intended to organise. Around ten o'clock, elements of the SMI, the gendarmerie, and the auxiliary forces formed a barrier to stop this march, where several protesters were waving the national flag.

In an open sit-in for more than a week, dozens of people have been protesting against what they describe as "exclusion, marginalisation, and pauperisation" of the rural commune. Young people, adults, and even the elderly expressed their anger against "catastrophic management of the rural commune and the impunity of its officials".

High-ranking security officials tried to convince the protesters to abandon the idea of the march on Fez and to form a dialogue committee with the provincial authorities in Taza. The population accepted this dialogue proposal, scheduled for Thursday, on the condition that the sit-in continues as a form of protest. However, some people persisted in carrying out the decision to march, which caused some minor friction, according to witnesses on the spot. It should be recalled that several audit and inspection commissions have visited this commune over the last four years, following complaints about projects that never came to fruition.

Provider / Source : Mustapha Elouizi, Libération