Morocco: Demolition of illegal cafes and shops continues

Local authorities in Moulay Brahim, Al Haouz region have demolished several cafes and shops selling industrial handicrafts located along the banks of the tourist valley of Ghighaya. The managers of these businesses express their dismay.

Local authorities have “broken some tables and chairs, and demolished wooden shelters and bamboo umbrellas in the Ghighaya Valley”, and this, “suddenly and without prior warning”, says the president of a local association. A situation he deplores. According to him, the members of his association had requested an audience to meet with local authorities in order to find a satisfactory solution for everyone, but they have not received any response to date. They then sent a petition to the governor of the Al Haouz region to denounce the attitude of the local authorities. They claim that they have not accepted the requests of the store owners to grant them a deadline to remove all the wooden shelters. As a result, this series of demolitions has caused “significant material damage and losses, as well as a psychological and economic crisis, which occurred directly after the crisis that the region experienced with the Covid-19 pandemic”.