Moroccans Protest Soaring Food Prices in Nationwide Demonstrations

Gathered in front of the parliament in Rabat, the protesters chanted slogans like "The people want prices to go down", "Why are we poor? Because we are governed by thieves", and also held banners on which one could read "My country has coasts but sardines are expensive", "My country is agricultural, but vegetables cost me dearly" or "United against the rise in prices".

In addition to Rabat, demonstrations against the high cost of living have also been organized in cities such as Kenitra, Salé, Marrakech, Larache, Tangier, Beni Mellal, Juribga, Safi, Oujda, Nador or El Jadida, reports EFE. These protest movements were initiated by the Moroccan Social Front, grouping NGOs such as the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH), trade unions such as the Democratic Confederation of Labor (CDT) or far-left parties such as the Federation of Democratic Left (FDT).

For several months, Moroccans have been facing soaring prices of basic necessities. With the start of Ramadan fasting on March 23, they are having difficulty obtaining these products. For the authorities, this price increase is due to the drought that has severely affected the kingdom and global inflation caused by the war in Ukraine. Moroccan Agriculture Minister Mohamed Sadiki recently assured that prices will fall in the coming weeks.

At the end of February, inflation in Morocco stood at 10.1% compared to the same period last year, mainly due to a 20% year-on-year increase in food prices.