Fez – In the wake of the growing use of homemade explosives in terrorist attacks around the world, Morocco’s government council adopted a draft law on Thursday restricting the civilian use of explosive materials, including fireworks and any form of pyrotechnic materials.
Following the council’s meeting, Mustapha El Khalfi, Morocco’s Minister of Communication, stated that the project aims to keep pace with the economic and technological developments in manufacturing, transporting, and storage of explosives.
El Khalfi pointed to the significant use of explosives by civilians in a number of industrial sectors, particularly energy, mining, and development of infrastructure, and the dangers explosives pose to people and property in almost all stages of importing, manufacturing, use and disposal.
The government must take precautions to control the risks associated with the explosive materials, and to decrease the number of accidents and the chance of illegal usage, potentially in terrorist incidents, added the minister.
The draft law calls for the creation of a national explosives committee and regional bodies to determine the nature of explosive materials, and to label them in order to facilitate tracking and tracing materials.
It also prohibits the sale of expired, damaged or decomposed explosive materials and transporting them on land, in addition to enacting stringent regulations restricting selling, transporting, storing and using gunpowder that is meant for shows and celebrations.
