It has come to our attention that the series of developments in Missour over the last 3 decades or so were not being accurately conveyed to the government in Rabat. As a result, the central government received no reports that represented the reality in Missour city in particular and Boulemane province in general. The frustration that accumulated and the long list of grievances that were not addressed led to a state of affairs that brought about a wave of discontent that erupted in a sit-in before the headquarters of Boulemane province in Missour that is still ongoing after about 150 days.
As members of the Moroccan community abroad, we are following the events in Missour with great concern and worry that lack of engagement and responsiveness might end up escalating the situation between a defenseless population and the security forces in light of the extremely difficult living conditions in the area.
Security in Missour in particular and in Morocco in general is our job and our duty, and we are calling upon the parties concerned to intervene to appease the situation and to find immediate solutions to the crisis. We are especially concerned that the ongoing unresponsiveness will lead to embittering an entire population that has throughout the centuries been peaceful and law-abiding.
In harmony with the instructions of his majesty King Mohamed 6, we are calling upon the parties concerned to look at the regional issues from a local development perspective and to make sure the area is spared the dangers that engulfed other regions of Morocco throughout the last few years.
We call upon the local government to respond to the calls of his Majesty Mohamed 6 to promote democracy and human rights across the regions in general and in the igli-Missour-Boulemane region in particular as part of the initiative of human development launched by his Majesty and the the millennium development corporation goals.
It is high time that the local government responds to the calls of the citizens, particularly when their calls are legitimate and their demands are fundamentally protected by international human rights laws and charters and international constitutions, which guarrantee people protection against power abuse, against disappropriation of their property, and against violence to their persons and their property.
In Morocco of today, King Mohamed 6 called for an enlarged autonomy for the western provinces where the Sahrawi people have extensive powers in management of their region within Moroccan sovereignty. It is time that that project be extended to other regions as well where the inhabitants themselves manage the affairs of their area and not individuals who simply happen to have been assigned to take the reins of governance here and there without the real drive and motivation to devise and apply programs that do people justice and promote economic opportunity and justice.
It is with deep concern that we are are experiencing an escalation in demonstrations across many areas as well as rising discontent in many parts of cities and provinces. We very much worry that these tensions may lead to distabilizing many parts of the kingdom and the entire region.
Missour in particular and Boulemane province in general have been home for a peaceful and law-abiding people, Amazigh and Arabs, for a long time. It is like that they want to continue to be, in a democratic, free, and just Morocco under the leadership of his Majesty King Mohamed 6, may Allah guard him.
In the meantime, we are following the plight of the political prisoners and the suffering of their families because of the said detentions. As a result, we call upon the parties concerned to release the political prisoners immediately and to let them go home to their families and their communities as soon as possible.
We end this contemplation with an appeal to all parties concerned to work for peace and security throughout our beloved Morocco and to heed the calls of his Majesty king Mohamed 6 to address the wrongs, to do justice to the wronged in Igli Missour and elsewhere, and to prosecute the wrong-doers.
The Moroccanbridge Team