Moroccans Protest Soaring Fuel and Food Prices Amid Rising Poverty Rates

The continued rise in fuel and basic food prices would be the source of these popular demands. The protesters called for "freedom, dignity and social equality". These demonstrations were held on the sidelines of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, with the poverty rate in Morocco reaching around 20% of the population (36 million).

In Rabat, the Social Front invited activists to a sit-in in front of the Parliament, denouncing "the illegal enrichment of oil companies". Fuel prices continue to rise at the pump, increasing by 1.5 dirhams per liter to reach 15.61 DH. Gasoline is sold at 14.77 DH per liter. The same observation applies to food products.

This situation would be the result of a high inflation rate recorded by the kingdom, which reached 5.5% this year, according to experts. A level five times higher than the rate recorded between 2017 and 2021, according to the High Commission for Planning.

To mitigate this surge in prices, the associations called on the government to "cap the price of diesel at 10 dirhams and gasoline at 11 dirhams, and to set the profit margin of distributors within reasonable and acceptable limits", a proposal rejected by the government.