His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco deposed three of his ministers last Tuesday. This is done due to the current crisis in the northern Moroccan region of Rif. There is currently considerable dissatisfaction in the northern part of Morocco in the region of Rif. Rif has for several months been characterised by angry demonstrations calling for jobs, development and an end to corruption in the Kingdom.
A total of four Moroccan government officials was fired by the King after delays in development programmes. The royal palace said in a statement on Tuesday that the ministers of education, health and housing, and a junior minister of professional training were fired.
Rif has for a long time had a tense relationship with the central authorities in Rabat, and it was at the heart of the Arab Spring-inspired protests in Morocco in February 2011. King Mohamed VI relinquished some of his near-absolute control through constitutional reforms following the 2011 protests. In an official statement from the royal palace, the reason behind the changes in the government are described as due to “delays in development programmes”.
Parliament of Morocco, the legislature’s building in Rabat. Photo: TreasuryTag via Wikimedia Commons.
Also in August, Morocco’s Prime Minister cancelled holidays for ten ministers in order to ensure that essential development works in the Rif region continued. The deposing of the ministers took place only a few days before the anniversary of the death of a local vendor who was crushed by a garbage truck while trying to retrieve fish seized by police. His death sparked an outbreak of protests in the mountainous region, which saw clashes between armed security forces and protesters.
His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco was born in August 1963 and became King in July 1999, after his father, King Hassan II, passed away. Mohammed VI is believed to be the richest among the African royals. He controls the Moroccan investment company Societe National d’Investissement, which is estimated to be worth more than 10 billion dollars.
