Rabat – A number of inhabitants of Douar El Garaa, one of the oldest slums in Rabat, came face to face today with Moroccan authorities. The clashes were filmed and posted on YouTube.
The clashes took place near the ruins of some citizens’ houses. The video shows the Moroccan officers bundling in a big mass and advancing towards the scattered citizens, women’s screams filling the background.
On the other side of the ruins, the video shows a group of young men standing in front of the riot squad officers, throwing rocks at them.
The clashes appear to be due to an ongoing displacement of the inhabitants. As part of the project “Rabat capital of lights“, previously supervised by Abdelwafi Fatit, former governor of Rabat, Douar El Garaa is expected to be demolished.
Authorities in Rabat have offered apartments for MAD 100,000 or lands on the Ain Aouda area of South Rabat in compensation for the demolished homes.
The residents rejected the offers as they did not have the money to buy the apartments or to build new houses on the proposed lands. Some refused to move from the center of Rabat to the Ain Aouda area on the outskirts of the capital.
Since 2017, the residents have been protesting the authorities’ plans. Some of them demonstrated, in 2017, near “Bab Soufara” (Ambassadors Gate) near the royal palace in Rabat.
In May 2018, during the King’s official activities near their neighborhood, the residents also protested with slogans demanding accountability.
