Morocco’s Prime Minister, Aziz Akhannouch, has commended the actions of security forces in response to ongoing nationwide protests over corruption and public spending, stating the government is open to dialogue. The announcement comes as organisers called for a sixth consecutive night of demonstrations.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Akhannouch confirmed that the death toll had risen to three. Local authorities had earlier reported that two individuals were killed in the southern city of Lqliâa on Wednesday night after security forces opened fire during clashes with demonstrators.
According to Morocco’s state news agency, Map, the fatalities occurred when police, acting in self-defence, attempted to prevent protesters from seizing weapons. Authorities said the group, armed with knives, stormed a security facility, setting fire to part of the building and a vehicle after tear gas failed to disperse them.
These are the first confirmed deaths since the protests began, marking a significant escalation in public unrest. The demonstrations were initially sparked by outrage over poor hospital conditions following the deaths of eight women in a public hospital in Agadir. The movement quickly spread to other cities, fuelled by demands for improved education and healthcare.
The protests have been organised online by a loosely affiliated youth group calling itself GenZ 212, which has used platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and the gaming chat app Discord to mobilise support. Membership in the group’s Discord server has surged from approximately 3,000 last week to over 130,000.
The unrest mirrors similar youth-led movements in countries including Nepal, Madagascar, and Kenya. Authorities initially sought to suppress the rallies, but by Tuesday night, the demonstrations had escalated into widespread violence. The Interior Ministry reported that 263 members of the security forces and 23 civilians were injured during clashes.
On Wednesday evening, violence spread to the city of Salé, where witnesses described groups of young men throwing stones at police, looting shops, setting banks ablaze, and torching police vehicles in densely populated neighbourhoods.
The scale of the protests has taken many by surprise, emerging as some of the largest in Morocco in recent years. Mass arrests have been reported in more than a dozen cities, particularly in areas suffering from high unemployment and inadequate public services.
Protesters have criticised what they perceive as rampant corruption and have contrasted the billions of dirhams being invested in preparations for the 2030 World Cup with the poor state of schools and hospitals. Chants of “Stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals?” have echoed across protest sites, highlighting deep socio-economic disparities.
Government officials have denied prioritising World Cup infrastructure over essential public services, attributing the current challenges in the health sector to previous administrations.
In response to the unrest, Morocco’s governing majority announced a parliamentary session on Thursday to discuss healthcare and hospital reforms, chaired by the Prime Minister.
Professor Nic Cheeseman of the University of Birmingham noted that the protests were driven by economic grievances and were occurring in urbanised areas with relatively less authoritarian control. “It is where extremely young populations interact with urbanisation and economic downturn, under conditions where it is possible to protest,” he said.
GenZ 212 has called for further peaceful demonstrations to begin at 1600 GMT on Thursday, with gathering points to be announced later in the day.
