Casablanca Residents Protest Evictions, Demand Rehousing After Demolitions

"The company in charge of the residential project in Mahaj Al Malaki in the old medina is responsible for the rehousing of the inhabitants affected by the demolitions," explains to the website Al3omk the president of the collective of victims of demolition decisions in the old medina, specifying that "the company concerned is required to compensate the owners as part of the expropriation for public utility, and not by virtue of a demolition decision as part of buildings threatening to collapse. Moreover, the compensation must be fair and correspond to the real value of the property."

According to the official, "hundreds of Casablanca families are now threatened with being left on the street because they have not benefited from apartments, unlike other families affected by demolition decisions." The president of the collective of victims of demolition decisions in the old medina added that "the owners suffer from the weakness of the compensation, which is unacceptable, because the old medina houses about three related families in each house, which can reduce their chances of benefiting from rehousing due to the derisory amount of the compensation."

In her written question addressed to the Minister of the Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit, on this subject, the deputy Fatima Tamni, of the Front of Democratic Left, asked what "measures the government intends to take to solve this problem that has been pending for years, guarantee the rights of the inhabitants and provide them with decent housing." The MP also sought to know "the reasons for the chaotic management of the project." For Tamni, the delay in the implementation of this project negatively affects the daily life of the inhabitants of Mahaj Al Malaki "on the psychological, social and economic levels."

"The Mahaj Al-Malaki project, whose objective was to connect the Hassan II mosque to the city center, has experienced many dysfunctions that have led to its stagnation and delay for many years, during which public facilities and houses have been demolished without consideration of the rights of the inhabitants, which has created an environment unsuitable for life and an increase in the crime rate," she deplored, noting that "a check for 9,000 dirhams was proposed for the rent, an amount that is not even enough to rent an apartment for three months."

The deputy continued: "What is worrying is the verbal announcement of eviction decisions to the inhabitants without any legal basis, as well as the use of public force and the threat of imprisonment towards those who refuse to comply. After the eviction of the inhabitants, their houses are demolished without any concern for their property, which infringes on their rights. Furthermore, the difficulty in obtaining loans to buy replacement apartments accentuates the suffering of homeless families."