Moroccans shout slogans during a demonstration against economic marginalisation on January 19, 2018, in the northeastern city of Jerada, 60 kilometres southwest of Oujda. - The residents of the former mining town demonstrated to call for "jobs and development" after the accidental death of two brothers in a disused mine sparked mass protests. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP) (Photo credit should read FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images)
In a move highlighting the escalating crisis in Jerada, the Unified Socialist Party’s MP, Nabila Mounib, has addressed a letter to the Prime Minister through the Speaker of Parliament. She posed an oral question regarding the growing unemployment and lack of job opportunities for the city’s residents, along with the alarming rise in fatalities linked to the coal pits, locally known as « sandriates. »
In her correspondence, Mounib pointed out that these pits, which have become symbols of the city’s suffering, continue to claim the lives of young people who, after the closure of official mines, are forced to work under unsafe conditions in these informal coal pits. She added that the formation of cooperatives to employ young people was supposed to provide them with opportunities for a dignified life. However, the lack of safety measures in these cooperatives has led to an increase in fatalities. Recently, the city lost two young men within just four days, highlighting the severity of the situation.
As these tragedies continue, Mounib’s inquiry also highlights the vast amounts of money being spent with no tangible effect on improving the region’s conditions or creating safe job opportunities for the youth. Instead of the region’s natural wealth becoming a source of development, Jerada continues to suffer from high unemployment rates, despite peaceful popular movements demanding improvements to the economic and social situation.
Mounib concluded her letter by asking the Prime Minister about the government programs aimed at combating unemployment in Jerada specifically and the Oriental region in general, emphasizing the region’s right to job creation and development. This move reignites the discussion on the government’s responsibility to address the demands of Jerada’s residents and improve their living conditions amid the deteriorating economic and social situation in the region.
