Rabat – The Head of Government and the president of Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region have announced that they will meet the demands of the ongoing Rif protests by expediting socio-economic development projects in the region.
Government head Saad Eddine El Othmani met with regional president Ilyas El Omari and parliamentary representatives of the region to discuss the demonstrations in the city of Al Hoceima and the surrounding areas.
“We agreed on implementing and speeding up the realization of regional development projects to meet the demands of the population of the region,” El Othmani told the press following the meeting.
El Othmani, who stated that the meeting aimed to establish a dialogue with local representatives, affirmed that the projects will be completed in due time.
The Head of Government explained that Al Hoceima is a now priority because there is an “emergency” in the region. He promised that similar meetings with regional elected officials and MPs of other regions will be held in the future to create further cohesion between the executive branch and regional representatives.
El Omari stressed on the need to work hand-in-hand to implement what was agreed upon to meet the social and economic demands of citizens in Al Hoceima.
“Some projects have been launched. Others will be launched [soon]. We need everybody to be involved, especially the citizens of Al Hoceima,” he said.
The Al Hoceima native official said the delay in the realization of the MAD 6.5 billion development program Al Hoceima Manarat Al Moutawsit was discussed during the meeting, adding that the government promised to complete the projects by 2019.
