Moroccan tribe demands building rights, investigation into school burning

Members of the Ait Khabbash tribe in Morocco's Errachidia province staged a protest, demanding the government simplify building permit processes on their ancestral lands bordering Algeria. They also called for an investigation into the burning of a mobile school serving nomadic children in the Taddart area.

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We live near the Moroccan-Algerian border in difficult conditions. Being denied building permits increases our suffering and threatens our stability.

Protesters carried signs emphasizing their "right to housing and a dignified life on their ancestors' land" in the border regions. They highlighted how administrative complexities prevent them from obtaining building permits, despite owning the land for generations. "We live near the Moroccan-Algerian border in difficult conditions," said Hamo Ben Moujan, a tribal member. "Being denied building permits increases our suffering and threatens our stability."

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We demand that the authorities find a legal formula that does us justice and takes into account the specificity of the border region.

Ben Moujan urged authorities to find a legal solution that respects the specific circumstances of the border region. The tribe has occupied these lands for decades but faces significant hurdles in securing construction permits, leaving them in a vulnerable housing situation. If building on their land proves impossible, the tribe demands compensation with plots in Tangier, Rabat, or Tetouan, complete with all necessary legal documentation.

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We are Moroccan citizens and we have the right to live with dignity, either we are allowed to build on our land or we are compensated with alternative land where we can settle and ensure a better future for our children.

The protest also condemned the "cowardly act of sabotage" against a recently built mobile school, the only educational facility for nomadic children in the remote border area. The school, funded by the National Initiative for Human Development, was destroyed on February 28, 2021. The tribe demanded an urgent investigation to identify and bring the perpetrators to justice, viewing the attack on an educational institution in a border zone as a violation of constitutional rights.

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When we asked about the number of students, we were deeply pained after one of the mothers recounted the tragedy of the demolition and burning of the school, the only refuge for these children to continue their education in this remote area.