Two Moroccans self-immolate, one in serious condition

CASABLANCA,Morocco, January 20, 2012 (AFP)

Two young unemployed Moroccans set themselves alight during a protest in the capital Rabat, relatives and friends told AFP Friday, adding that one of them was fighting for his life.

The incident took place on Wednesday during a sit-in protest by unemployed university graduates, the latest in a string of self-immolations across the region since the start of the Arab Spring more than a year ago.

The pair were initially taken to a hospital in Rabat but were later transferred to a unit in Casablanca, 50 miles south along the coast, due to the seriousness of the burns one of them suffered.

Mohammed Zeidoun, a man in his thirties, has “very serious burns to his upper body and a 50 percent chance of surviving,” a family member told AFP.

Mohammad Haouass, in his twenties, was in less serious condition, a protest organiser said.

Thousands of Moroccans holding university degrees and seeking jobs in the civil service have been demonstrating almost daily to voice their frustration at the lack of employment prospects.