Casablanca – Director of Public Organization and Freedoms at the Ministry of Interior, Mohamed Azukan, affirmed on Thursday that the demands of the Rif people are a priority for the government.
During his appearance on the Moroccan Channel, Al Oula, Mohamed Azukan discussed the government’s legitimization of the social and economic demands in Hoceima and stated its commitment to answering these demands.
“The development of Hoceima is a strategic priority and not a circumstantial reaction to a certain situation dictated by the circumstances,” said Azukan.
He pointed out that this development emanates from “the government’s perspective of the development process” that Morocco is going through, which follows the guidance and vision of King Mohammed VI.
He continued, saying that this development choice is practically “represented by the regional development program, dubbed ‘Hoceima the Lighthouse of the Mediterranean,’ which was presented to the King in 2015 and allocated a MAD 6.5 billion investment budget.” Azukan noted that this program responds to more than 90 percent of Hoceima’s demands, and that development measures of this program are currently underway.
Laying out the details of the development plan, Azukan pointed out that priority has been given to infrastructure projects, the strengthening of the drinking water sector, the rehabilitation of roads as well as sports, health, educational and agricultural facilities.
Azukan also reiterated that on May 22, a ministerial delegation headed to Hoceima to discuss ways of speeding up the implementation process of these projects and to maintain positive dialogue with the region’s inhabitants.
On the issue of the militarization Dahir that has been a heated topic of discussion in Morocco, Azukan asserted that many official, governmental and judicial bodies have already declared that the demand to “abolish the so-called ‘militarization’ is not based on any legal or factual basis.”
Hoceima was a military zone but was abolished following a decree issued in 1959 concerning the administrative division of Morocco. The official further pointed out that the dahir of the administrative division of the Kingdom includes Article 6, which confirms that all legislative or regulatory requirements against this dahir have been repealed. He recounted that Hoceima was not the only region to be classified as a military zone during the first years of independence. Meknes was also labeled a military zone.
Azukan highlighted the role played by social media in Hoceima’s events. “What we are witnessing today from the manufacture and spread of fake news through social networks can only be characterized by misinformation and dissemination of incorrect facts, the objectives of which vary according to the cases, but the common denominator between them is spreading confusion and panic among people,” he said.
The Ministry of Interior’s statement confirmed Wednesday that its interaction with various public issues related to its field of competence is through the issuance of communications through official channels, and not through social networks or messenger apps.
“It is necessary to deal with these inaccuracies with great caution, and ascertain their source before taking any decision or adopting any comment in this regard,” noted Azukan.
