Tribal Land Dispute Escalates in Morocco’s Ouarzazate Province

This situation has "deprived about 1400 rightful claimants of their lands," lamented one of them in statements to the press. The problem of the privatization of tribal lands is "old and persistent" in Skoura in the province of Ouarzazate, and this despite the efforts of the State to register these lands and issue land titles to their owners, observes a source, stressing the urgency of finding a quick solution to this situation.

According to some sources, these lands, belonging to the Oulad Souleymane tribe, are part of land title number 364. The owners had filed complaints with the local authorities in 2007, then in 2012, regarding the exploitation of their lands by foreigners. They were notably asking to redefine the original boundaries of the tribal lands. But the authorities did not follow up on this request, leaving the lands without a land title to this day.

The situation is becoming increasingly critical, given the demographic growth, indicate the same sources, stressing that several newly established families "do not have land to build their houses and live in difficult conditions." The earthquake that hit the Al Haouz region and affected several provinces including Ouarzazate has further aggravated the suffering of the rightful claimants who find themselves, they say, unable to use their lands to carry out economic projects.