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Join on Telegram Rabat – The weekly government council held on Thursday in Rabat was not a common one. Morocco’s head of government, Abdelilah Benkirane, has reportedly clashed with Aziz Akhannouch, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Fisheries.
According to Moroccan news outlet Le360, at the beginning of the council meeting, Benkirane expressed his disappointment at his colleague, telling him that he is “upset at him.”
“I am upset at you,” Benkirane said to Akhannouch, who answered saying that “[he] is also upset” at the head of government.
“I am even more upset at you, because I am accused of stealing the rural development program. I am more upset at you, because I am accused of conspiring against Prime Minister, I am more upset than you because I spoke to you about the program at the presence of Minister Bousaid,” Akhennouch said according to the same source.
“I am more upset than you, since within the coalition government team, you favors the conspiracy theory and you accuse some of your ministers of fooling you,” he added according to the same source.
The origin of the misunderstanding between the two government officials is the way in which the Minister of Agriculture was assigned the management and control of the “Rural Development Program,” which is endowed with a budget worth MAD 55 billion.
Some media report suggested that Akhennouch lured the head of government and made him sign the program without being aware that he is making the Minister the “boss” of the Rural Development Program.
The program will benefit 24,000 douars over the period between 2016-2022.
