[i]Tamassint is among the localities that remains distressed in the wake of the earthquake that shook the Rif region one year ago. Its inhabitants are protesting against the lack of any serious reconstruction policy and have been subjected to repeated repressive measures.[/i]The march they organised on 19 May 2005 was violently put down and the town of Tamassint was surrounded by repressive forces. This is why an emergency mobilisation was set up to break the inhabitants’ isolation.A solidarity caravan organised by the El Hoceima section of the AMDH [1] alongside democratic, trade union and political associations coming from Casablanca, Agadir, Tata, Tetouan, Tanger, Nador, Targuiste and Al Hoceima journeyed to Tamassint on 28 and 29 May, 2005.[b]Tamassint[/b] Tamassint is 30 km from Al Hoceima; its 15,000 inhabitants of Tamassint and douars scattered in the mountains (Zaouiat Sidi Issa, Aghlide, Idadouchen, Aït Aziz, Aït El Cadi,) have eked out a living from subsistence farming on small family plots and a few almond trees.The region suffers droughts and water shortages. Infrastructures such as roads and hospitals are inadequate.Tamassint is the village of Haddou Akchich, a combatant of the North African Liberation Army under the leadership of Mohamed Abdelkrim Khatabi. Refusing the Aix-les-Bains accords signed in 1956, viewing them as merely formal independence of Morocco, Haddou Akchich and his companions continued the struggle for the independence of all North Africa.Tamassint remained a stronghold of resistance for the continuation of this struggle. In 1957, the village was circled by the army and its population massacred. Haddou Akchich was carried off in 1957 and disappeared.This region was hard-hit by the Rif events in 1957-58. The army stepped in and many local people were killed, kidnapped and arrested. Terror and violence remain in the forefront of the inhabitants’ memory...[b]After the earthquake[/b] After the earthquake that shook the Rif region on 24 February 2004, Tamassint and the surrounding villages were particularly hard-hit. The lack of infrastructures, such as roads, water and electricity made this region a difficult to reach enclave. The population did not benefit from the emergency assistance that was hard to transport.Young people in the region, many of them unemployed, organised in an association to demand state aid and reconstruction of decent housing. They refused the aid grant of 30000 dirhams, seeing the sum as inadequate for reconstruction. They also demanded a census of all damaged dwellings.Throughout the entire year, they organised sit-ins on the weekly market day, to demand their rights and voice their protest. The authorities proposed no dialogue. The association was outlawed and the sit-ins subjected to strong police surveillance.[b]Repression - the authorities’ only response[/b] After a protest march to Ajdir on 14 April 2005, the co-ordinator of the association and two other people, accused of insults to civil servants and elected officials and of inciting riot and rebellion among the population, were arrested at Tamassint.Their trial was set for 26 May in Nador. The population organised a march to protest this outrageous judgement on 19 May, towards Al Hoceima.From 7am on Thursday 19 May, the inhabitants of Tamassint and the surrounding villages, including women and children, gathered for a march to the town of Al Hoceima.An impressive police deployment prevented them from continuing their march. The population decided to hold a siege all night if need be. Around 4 p.m., the people took up a collection and sent out for water, bread and milk to continue their sit-in. The police blocked this action.Faced with the gendarmes’ insults and provocations, the inhabitants answered. Tension grew. The police shot blank bullets, the inhabitants responded by volleys of stones.There were many wounded on both sides and the police squadron’s cars and vans were damaged. The state police launched tear gas bombs by helicopter. Two members of the El Hoceima Human Rights Association (Omar Lamalem and Saïd Aachir) were severely beaten, taken off in police cars and let go in the wilderness. They later confirmed that they saw at least 30 injured people and as many arrests among the demonstrators. The gendarmes also insulted the people of the region and their history.Until 10pm, the rumours grew. The roads were cut off, nobody could get near Tamassint. The only means of communication were cell phones. The population was totally isolated with no reporters or doctors on location.The police went after the people who had taken shelter in the mountains, searched houses and launched searches for the wanted members of the association.On Friday 10 May: the police reinforced the ring surrounding the region, cutting the people off with no supplies. Transports to Tamassint were cut off, and schools, shops and cafés were closed.A sit-in was organised in solidarity with the people of Tamassint by the AMDH at Al Hoceima, despite a strong contingent of police forces.Saturday 21 May. Tamassint remained surrounded.AMDH called for another sit-in at Al Hoceima. Omar Lamalem and Saïd Aachir, who had just been released from hospital, explained to a large and angry crowd what they had seen and been subjected to. They accused the authorities of serious human rights violations, including beatings in police cars...Moreover, the Wali of Al Hoceima put pressure on the elected representatives to sign a petition breaking with the people’s demands and supporting the Tamassint officials. On Sunday 22 May the police cleared out of the mountains but remained in TamassintAccording to the AMDH, the number of casualties and arrests after the events remains unknown. The toll of injured is unknown, and among the 35 people arrested, 9 remain in custody.The democratic associations support the Tamassint townspeople’s’ demands, namely: - The right to government reconstruction of decent housing - A census of all damaged dwellings that had received no state assistance - Free all people in custody - An end to prosecutions of 19 May 2005 demonstrators.....//en.yabiladi.com/topics/caravan-silidarity-with-tamassint-inhabitants-44-613749-613749.html#msg-613749 Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:48:15 +0200 Phorum 5.2.15