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Rabat – A new initiative has been launched by Moroccan intellectuals and human rights and civil society activists, calling for the government to satisfy the demands of protesters in Rif.
The initiative issued a communiqué on Thursday saying the social, economic and cultural demands of protesters are “legitimate.”
Signatories of the communiqué included writer and Amazigh activist Ahmed Assid, poet Salah El Ouadie, university professor Amina El Messaoudi and human rights activists Khadija Marouazi and Mohamed Neshnash.
Signatories to the communiqué said the protest movement “has been peaceful,” adding that the protests movement‘s demands can be satisfied “if there is truly a will to engage in a ‘serious’ dialogue with them.”
They called on “political actors to draw lessons” from the dynamic created by the protests movement and abstain from “accusations of treason” directed at the movement.
The communiqué stated that a diagnosis of the dysfunctions that led to the protests and dialogue “is the best way to deal with the demands,” insisting that “dialogue is not the end itself” and that its success depends on how much the state can deliver in terms of implementing the objectives agreed upon with the protesters.
“The process of reconciliation with the Rif region, which has been victim of many human rights violations, has to be completed,” reads the communiqué.
“The demands movement has to be dealt with consideration of social peace. The rights of citizens have to be guaranteed, including the right to peaceful protests.”
A call was issued to the government to speed up the realization of projects and development program in the city of Al Hoceima, including the establishment of a university hospital in the region.
