[Onthebarricades] GUINEA, YEMEN, MOROCCO: Protests over price rises

[Andy]

Neo-liberal policies leading to rises in prices for basic commodities have 
led to mass protests and unrest in Guinea, Yemen and Morocco.  In Guinea, 
food price rises led to thousands-strong protests in which protesters built 
barricades after police attacked the protest.  In Yemen, protests over fuel 
and other prices dovetailed with ongoing unrest over the situation of 
demobilised former southern soldiers from the civil war, leading to 
thousands-strong demonstrations especially in the south.  Police attacked 
protesters viciously and several protesters were killed.  In Morocco, food 
price rises have led to ongoing sit-in protests organised by a human rights 
group, which led to clashes with police in one locality.  The protests 
succeeded in securing a price reduction.

Thanks to Camilla Santos for information on Morocco.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h3SqQP6WP1puoHm6x-89PIxj70Ng

Thousands protest price rises in Guinean capital
Sep 18, 2007
CONAKRY (AFP) - Police used tear gas Tuesday to disperse thousands of 
demonstrators gathered in the Guinean capital Conakry to protest recent 
price rises, witnesses said.
The protestors, the majority of them young, were complaining about the 
increased cost of essential items such as meat, rice and petrol as well as 
against repeated power cuts in parts of the capital.
Small groups later formed barricades and set tyres on fire before police 
restored order, witnesses said.
"This was a brief incident, with no arrests and no injuries. Only a few 
agitators disrupted the public order before it was rapidly restored," an 
anonymous police source told AFP.
In the early hours of Tuesday a crowd of hundreds, later thousands, of 
people made for boulevard Le Prince, which links the suburbs with the centre 
of the capital, according to local residents.
Two districts -- Hamdallaye and Enco 5, which were the epicentre of a bloody 
repression of a two-month national strike earlier this year -- saw the worst 
of the demonstration.
There makeshift barricades were built and tyres ignited by protestors after 
police dispersed crowds using tear gas.
Following a wave of demonstrations against the regime of President Lansana 
Conte in January and February, which saw at least 137 deaths, the diplomat 
Lansana Kouyate, backed by the trade unions, was named prime minister -- a 
function previously exercised by the president.
Kouyate began widespread reforms aimed at breaking with previous 
misgovernment and attempted to relaunch the economy of this mineral-rich 
West African country.
Guineans have seen little of the benefit of the country's resources, instead 
being racked by years of social turmoil.

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/world.aspx?ID=BD4A567775

Posted to the web on: 19 September 2007
Guineans protest at food prices
Maseco Conde

Sapa-AP
CONAKRY - Hundreds of Guineans yesterday mobbed streets in the suburbs 
surrounding the capital , Conakry, throwing stones at cars and burning tyres 
as they protested against high prices of basic foodstuffs such as rice, 
sugar and oil.
Riot police and military forces fired tear gas into the groups, which 
started gathering in the early morning, erecting barricades to block 
traffic, a witness said. There were no immediate reports of fighting or 
injuries.
Previous confrontations between police and protesters in Conakry's suburbs 
have turned deadly. Clashes between security forces and antigovernment 
demonstrators in January and February left more than 100 dead - in some 
cases from police firing directly into crowds who were calling for long-time 
ruler Lansana Conte to step down.
The west African state has since been working to re-establish order , with 
Conte agreeing to share power with a prime minister. But most of the 
citizens of the mineral-rich country are desperately poor and the high 
prices of basic goods have continued to incite anger.
Last week, the government set price ceilings for a number of goods, 
including rice, oil and sugar. Yet a 50kg sack of rice continues to sell for 
at least 120000 Guinean francs (about $30 ) - above the government ceiling 
price of 85000 Guinean francs . A middle-level public servant in Guinea 
makes about 150000 Guinean francs a month .
Conte has ruled this former French colony since 1984, when he grabbed power 
in a coup. The country of 10-million is the world's largest producer of 
bauxite, the raw material used to make aluminium.
Shopkeepers shut their shops yesterday morning. Cars were avoiding the 
areas. A protester said they were angry about the continued high price of 
basic necessities .

http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL18783909.html

Police in Guinea fire in air to disperse protesters
Tue 18 Sep 2007, 11:21 GMT

CONAKRY, Sept 18 (Reuters) - Police in Guinea's capital Conakry fired in the 
air and used tear gas on Tuesday to disperse demonstrators throwing stones 
and burning tyres in protest at the rising cost of basic goods like rice.
Street protests in January and February killed more than 130 people and 
forced President Lansana Conte to appoint a new consensus prime minister in 
the West African country, following union demands for action to improve 
living conditions.
"They took to the streets to protest that the price of rice is too 
expensive. They've smashed up at least three rice stores, thrown stones and 
burned tyres on the road," a senior police official told Reuters, asking not 
to be named.
There were no immediate reports of casualties in the disturbances, which 
took place in the Bambeto and Cosa suburbs of the sprawling port city.
The unrest at the start of the year disrupted exports of bauxite from 
Guinea, the ore used in the production of aluminium. The country is among 
the world's poorest despite being the top exporter of the ore.

http://www.newssafety.com/hotspots/countries/yemen/afp/yemen020907.htm

One dead, 9 hurt in Yemeni price protest: report
SANAA, Sept 2, 2007 (AFP) - One person was killed and nine were wounded on 
Saturday during clashes between Yemeni security forces and demonstrators 
angry about rising prices in the impoverished state, a human rights groups 
said.
"The demonstrator was killed during disturbances that lasted several hours 
following the protest in the (southern coastal) city of Al-Mukalla," said 
Hussein Basaleh, the head of a human rights group in the city.
He said one of those wounded in the clashes was in a critical condition. 
Other eyewitnesses said police made several arrests.
Around 100 people were arrested the day before in the southern port city of 
Aden while preparing to demonstrate for better benefits for retired 
personnel but most were later freed, witnesses and officials said.
An interior ministry source told the official Saba news agency that all 
demonstrations in Yemen must have prior government approval.
The Council for the Coordination of Retired Groups organised the protest to 
demand greater assistance for more than 60,000 retirees from the military 
and civil service, most of whom insist they were forced to stop work early.
Thousands of protestors in the capital Sanaa on August 28 called for the 
Yemeni government to resign because of falling living standards and rising 
food prices in one of the world's poorest states.
In July 2005, at least 22 people were killed and 375 wounded when police 
clashed with demonstrators during two days of protests in Sanaa and several 
provincial towns against a sharp rise in fuel prices.
©2007 AFP All rights reserved. This material may not be published, 
broadcast, rewritten or distributed. All reproduction or redistribution is 
expressly forbidden without the prior written agreement of AFP.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/10/africa/ME-GEN-Yemen-Demonstration.php

Two Yemeni protesters killed, dozens injured in clashes with riot police

The Associated Press
Published: September 10, 2007

SAN'A, Yemen: Two Yemenis were killed and dozens injured in clashes with 
riot police Monday in three towns where thousands of protesters demanded the 
release of over 200 southern Yemeni veterans and their sympathizers, 
detained in similar protests this month, a police official said.
The two were fatally shot in the town of Ad Dali, 200 kilometers (125 miles) 
south of the capital, San'a, when rioters set fire to tires in the streets 
and threw stones at the police, prompting police to open fire to disperse 
the protesters.
Meanwhile, in Aden, police dispersed demonstrators demanding the release of 
the veteran detainees and protesting high prices of essential food items. 
Also, several hundreds other protesters staged a sit-in in front of the 
opposition Socialist Party headquarters.
A statement issued by that rally said the sit-in would continue until the 
government allowed the protesters the right to peaceful demonstrations. 
Police arrested several members from the opposition parties and other rights 
activists.
The police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not 
authorized to talk to the media, said the organizers of the demonstrations 
did not obtain prior permission from the Interior Ministry.
The Yemen demonstrations, which started in August and have taken place daily 
in September, are staged by mostly members of the army of south Yemen who 
lost their jobs after a defeat by the northern forces.
The protests underline persisting tensions between southern and northern 
Yemen, 13 years after the country's civil war.
Monday's fatalities bring to five the number of demonstrators killed in the 
protests. Two were killed earlier this month and a third was killed in 
August.
North and South Yemen were united in 1990, with the north's president 
becoming the united country's president. In 1994, rebels announced the 
secession of the south, and battled northern forces for several months in a 
civil war that ended in their defeat.
Southerners also complain that they are kept out of government jobs - a main 
source of employment in the south - in favor of northerners brought in to 
fill the bureaucracy and security forces. Northerners also continue to hold 
large tracts of land in the south granted to them after the civil war.
The government said earlier it had responded to the veterans' demands by 
allowing more than 7,000 southern Yemenis back into the army. But the offer 
was turned down by the retired officers, who said about 60,000 southern 
servicemen had been discharged.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A51F8E6D-5A78-4FD7-B462-5037C23A1808.htm

Yemeni price protests turn violent

At least one person has been killed and nine wounded in clashes between 
Yemeni police and demonstrators protesting against rising prices in the 
capital, Sanaa.

Yemen has banned protests organised without permission after opposition 
parties staged several protests in recent weeks to demand the government 
acts to curb rising prices.

Hussein Basaleh, the head of a human rights group in Sanaa, said on Sunday: 
"The demonstrator was killed during disturbances that lasted several hours."

He said one of those wounded in Saturday's clashes was in a critical 
condition and witnesses said police made several arrests.

Government officials say the rise is due to a sharp increase in the prices 
of commodities such as wheat in global markets.

The government has ordered state bodies to import goods and provide them at 
lower prices.

Retiree anger

About 100 people were arrested on Friday in the southern port city of Aden 
while preparing to demonstrate for better benefits for retired personnel but 
most were later freed, witnesses and officials said.

The Council for the Coordination of Retired Groups organised the protest to 
demand increased support for more than 60,000 retirees from the military and 
civil service, many of whom insist they were forced to stop work early.

On August 28 thousands of protesters gathered in Sanaa to call for the 
Yemeni government to resign because of falling living standards and rising 
food prices.

In July 2005, at least 22 people were killed and 375 wounded when police 
clashed with demonstrators during two days of protests in Sanaa and several 
provincial towns against a sharp rise in fuel prices.

Four out of 10 Yemenis live on less than $2 a day, according to Britain's 
department for international development, which says Yemen's oil, its main 
earnings source, is expected to dry up by 2015.

http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=1082&p=front&a=2

As Demands remain unmet, retirees threaten to continue protests

Mohammed Bin Sallam

SANA'A, Sept. 2 - Thousands of military and civil retirees poured into the 
streets of different southern and eastern governorates on Saturday in angry 
protests, imploring the government to listen to their demands and not to 
ignore their problems. The fiercest of them was staged in the city of 
Mukalla in Hadramout in which bloody clashes took place between policemen 
and protestors.

The security forces attempted to disperse the crowds by force and in fact 
arrested many of them. It has been learned that at least two people were 
killed and tens of protestors, along with policemen were injured in the 
clashes that drove rioters to damage cars and destroy trade stores.

The clashes broke out at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday following a peaceful 
demonstration that was organized by the Political and Public Function 
Coordination Committee and Military and Civil Retirees Coordination Council 
in Hadramout, as well as other social forums.

Furthermore, on the same day, Aden city experienced heavy deployment of 
security personnel in most of the city's intersections after clashes between 
protestors and policemen broke out in the Sheikh Othman and Khor Maksar 
neighborhoods. During the clashes, 3 protestors were killed and 400 others 
injured. Most of those arrested, however, were released on the same day. 
Also, security forces prevented the crowd from holding a sit-in in Aden and 
vehemently dispersed those who started to gather with sticks and rubber 
bullets.

A security source said to the media that the retirees were prevented from 
staging a sit-in under the subterfuge that they haven't obtained an official 
permission from the security authorities. Additionally, he accused the 
protestors of hurling stones at policemen, which forced them to react in 
kind. However, eyewitnesses denied that protestors hurled stones at 
policemen.

In Khor Maksar, where the military and civil retirees' societies had been 
expected to stage a sit-in, military and security troops, along with armored 
vehicles closed all the entrances leading to the area and put cement 
barriers in the streets. Such measures even prevented government employees 
from going to their jobs in the nearby areas.

In Al-Salam Sport Stadium in Tawr Al-Baha, Lahj governorate, a huge rally 
was held to protest against poor living standards, rampant corruption, 
abject poverty, unemployment and skyrocketing prices of foodstuffs.

Speeches and poems criticizing poverty, corruption, unemployment and price 
hikes were given during the rally, which was held in the presence of the 
Military and Civil Retirees' Society, civil community activists, sheikhs, 
social personalities and thousands of citizens from nearby areas.

In Al-Mahfad district, Abyan governorate, a large number of army and civil 
pensioners, along with ordinary citizens, joined a peaceful demonstration. 
They, like their fellow counterparts around the country, chanted slogans 
denouncing corruption and price hikes. Another rally, involving hundreds of 
locals, was organized by the retirees' society, Idle Youth Society and JMP, 
in Rasd district.

The society of military, civil retirees and dismissed servants in the areas 
of Yafe', Labous, Yahr, Al-Had and Al-Muflihi in Lahj governorate held a 
peaceful sit-in at the local authority's building.

In Al-Dhale' governorate, a massive demonstration was staged in protest 
against the crackdown on Aden protesters. Citizens confirmed that 
demonstrators in Al-Dhale' blocked the Sana'a-Aden Highway for more than 
five hours and categorically denounced the assaults on protestors in other 
governorates.

The protesters around the country arrived at one powerful and unified 
consensus: the reinstatement of retirees, who were referred to pensions 
after 1994, and the resolution of the situations of those who were dismissed 
from their jobs before and after 1994. Other demands include considering 
petitions and complaints of retirees whose property was looted by the elite.

Furthermore, the protestors are insisting that the government tackle 
unemployment among youths, create more job opportunities and help the 
facilitation of youths into universities, military academies through 
scholarships. The angry protestors vowed to continue their peaceful struggle 
until they attain all their legal rights. According to them, this is a 
vindication for the reservation of national principles, protecting national 
solidarity and strengthening justice.

JMP denounced all the security and administrative procedures, in addition to 
the decisions that have been so far taken by the local authorities in Aden 
and Hadramout. Thus, this is preventing citizens from voicing their demands 
peacefully as ensured by the constitution. According to the opposition 
parties, such procedures are flagrant violations of the government's duty to 
uphold the constitution.

JMP also called for an investigation to question government officials, who 
are responsible for what happened on Saturday. The opposition parties 
reaffirmed their stance that these wrong policies do not bode well for 
maintaining peace, security and stability throughout the country.

The Forgiving, Conciliation and Solidarity Forums released a statement on 
Saturday deploring the behavior exercised by the security authorities in 
Aden governorate and their crackdown in protestors in different parts of the 
governorate.

"Through their behavior, the security authorities have demonstrated that 
they are willing to divide people of the same nation, particularly the 
allowance of citizens in the northern governorates to hold demonstrations, 
while at the same time preventing those living in the southern governorates 
from voicing their concerns and demands," the statement said. "Such a 
discriminative behavior contradicts the simplest values of equal citizenship 
and national principles." The forums statement went on to say, "such conduct 
is a flagrant violations of the Constitution and human rights conventions, 
which Yemen endorsed and committed itself to protect."

"Resolving the issue of retirees and those dismissed from their jobs demands 
serious dialogues between authorities and representatives of the pensioners 
councils. The situation requires the authorities to take a principled 
decision to prevent such egregious acts against retirees," it concluded.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/04/africa/ME-GEN-Yemen-Demonstration.php

Yemeni police disperse protesters with bullets, arrest scores as riots of 
disaffected veterans continue

The Associated Press
Published: September 4, 2007

SAN'A, Yemen: Riot police fired bullets, unleashed tear gas and water 
cannons Tuesday to disperse thousands of protesters demanding the release of 
more than 200 disaffected southern Yemeni veterans and their sympathizers 
detained in daily protests this month, a police official said.
Tuesday's demonstrations took place in several cities in Yemen's southern 
province of Hadramawt, with protests burning tires and carrying red and 
black banners in a sign of mourning over the death of two demonstrators 
reported killed by security forces in similar protest Sunday.
No one was reported killed during the protests Tuesday.
The government deployed hundreds of riot police and sealed off several roads 
in the city of al-Mukalla, 560 kilometers (350 miles) southeast of the 
capital, San'a, where the biggest protest was held, said the police 
official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized 
to talk to the media.
Later Tuesday, Yemen's top security body which includes the interior 
ministry and the national security department issued a statement warning 
"any party, movement, group or individual who stages or carries slogans that 
put national unity in peril, or calls for destruction of national unity, 
will be tried as a traitor."

Under Yemen's constitution, traitors face the death penalty.
Nasser Ba Quzquz, head of the opposition Tagammu Union Party in the southern 
province of Hadramawt said the demonstrations will continue regardless of 
authorities' threats.
Ba Quzquz said that security forces rounded up scores of protesters and 
clamped down with roadblocks on entrances into al-Mukalla Tuesday to prevent 
more demonstrators from coming in from other areas.
The demonstrations, which started in August and have been taking place daily 
this month, underline increasing tensions between southern and northern 
Yemen, 13 years after the country's civil war.
The protesters are mostly members of the army of south Yemen, who lost their 
jobs after a defeat by northern forces.
During the first protest in early August, one person was reportedly killed 
and some 1,000 arrested in clashes with police in the southern port city of 
Aden.
North and South Yemen were united in 1990, with the north's president 
becoming the united country's president. In 1994, rebels announced the 
secession of the south, and battled northern forces for several months in a 
civil war that ended in their defeat.
Southerners also complain that they are kept out of government jobs - a main 
source of employment in the south - in favor of northerners brought in to 
fill the bureaucracy and security forces.
Northerners also continue to hold large tracts of land in the south granted 
to them after the civil war.

http://www.flexnews.com/pages/11087/Africa/Wheat/moroccan_government_lowers_bread_price_violent_protests_dj.html

Moroccan Government Lowers Bread Price After Violent Protests (DJ)
Source: Dow Jones Newswires
25/09/2007

Casablanca, Sept. 25 - Violent protests over the cost of bread prompted the 
Moroccan government to annul a 30% price hike linked to soaring global grain 
costs.
Protesters clashed with police, cars were torched and buildings damaged in 
the demonstrations Sunday in Sefrou, 200 kilometers (120 miles) east of the 
capital Rabat. Some 300 people suffered injuries, Moroccan newspapers 
reported Tuesday. The state news agency said more than 30 people were 
arrested.
The government held an emergency meeting Monday, and Interior Minister 
Chakib Benmoussa ordered the price hike canceled, the Interior Ministry 
said.
Amid rising world prices for wheat, the government authorized a bread price 
rise of 30% on Sept. 10, soon before the start of Ramadan. Moroccan 
consumption of breads and pastries rises sharply during the Muslim holy 
month, as families hold large feasts after sundown to break the all-day 
fast.
The decision prompted widespread complaints from consumers that peaked at 
Sunday's protest, organized by the local branch of the Moroccan Association 
for Human Rights.
The protest degenerated into violence that left schools, stores and 
administrative buildings damaged and several cars burned, the provincial 
governor, Mohamed Allouche, said.
The Moroccan Association for Human Rights, a well-established group 
operating since 1979 with branches around the country, has organized several 
sit-ins against food price rises over the past year.
The weekend protests raised the specter of bread riots in 1981 that left 
hundreds dead in Casablanca. Those riots were prompted by the government's 
decision to raise bread prices by 30 percent.
This year, wheat prices have soared worldwide amid rising demand and 
shrinking stocks. One reason is increasing demand for biofuels, which can be 
made from wheat. European consumers have seen prices rise sharply for 
breads, pasta and meat products as a result of rising grain costs.

http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2007/09/28/feature-01

Protests against price rises in Morocco
28/09/2007
Protests have broken out in several Moroccan cities due to recent food price 
hikes. Although the government has taken steps to halt the rises, returning 
to normal is proving difficult and sit-ins continue.
By Naoufel Cherkaoui and Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat - 27/09/2007

[Sarah Touahri] Another sit-in is planned for Friday in front of the 
parliament in Rabat-Salé.
Following price increases for basic foodstuffs, a series of sit-ins has been 
organised in recent days in Morocco as a means of protest. Supported by 
civil society groups, members of the public went out into the streets to 
express their anger and to ask the government to take steps to relieve the 
economic pressure placed on them. Another sit-in is planned for Friday 
(September 28th) in front of the parliament in Rabat-Salé.
A demonstration in Sefrou on Sunday (September 23rd) turned violent, 
injuring several protestors and security personnel.
The Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH) organised the Sunday 
protest, which it described as peaceful, in order to protest the rise of 
prices during Ramadan. The situation got out of control when angry citizens 
began throwing stones at security forces, who responded with tear gas. 
Protestors proceeded to loot and burn a number of public buildings, in 
addition to shops and automobiles.
Khaled Fathi, head of the AMDH branch in Sefrou, summarized the events for 
Magharebia, saying, "We organised a sit-in at 11:00 AM on Sunday for 45 
minutes. The number of participants was more than 2500 persons. We delivered 
a speech in which we condemned the rise of prices, and we concluded it by 
asking the protestors to disperse in a peaceful way."
"The first spark was ignited when the security forces provoked the 
protestors by insulting and cursing them," Fathi said. "The protestors 
responded by throwing stones at them. Consequently, open clashes erupted 
between the two sides in most districts of the town."
Sefrou Mayor Mohammad Allouache blamed the AMDH for the unfortunate events, 
claiming the sit-in was not legal. He also said the "confrontations caused 
serious damage to public establishments and private property."
Speak with Magharebia, AMDH President Khadija Ryadi responded, saying, 
"There is a stark contradiction between statements by the mayor of Sefrou 
and statements made by interior ministry officials after a meeting held at 
their request with the Association on Monday. The aim of that meeting was to 
provide us with a comprehensive report on the events that took place in 
Sefrou. They didn't say we were responsible."
"The Director of Internal Affairs, the Governor of Fez, and the Governor of 
Rabat told us the ministry had no plans to interfere in the affairs of our 
association," Ryadi continued. "This is because the Government believes in 
the right to protest, and in individual and collective freedoms."
A group called Concerted Action against the High Cost of Living organised 
its own demonstration in Rabat on September 26th. Abdesselam Adib, the 
group's co-ordinator, described the protestors' demands, which include not 
only the immediate cancellation of all price rises for basic products, but 
also the level of water and electricity bills, the cost of hospital 
treatment and other public services. Adib is also calling for a rise in the 
guaranteed minimum wage and fixed benefits, the application of a sliding 
scale for salaries, the immediate recruitment of unemployed graduates and an 
overhaul of public services, including halting the privatisation process of 
the water and electricity industries.
The government has stated that the recent price rise of certain basic goods 
was due to rapid fluctuation in international markets. At a September 25th 
meeting, government officials decided to suspend taxes and duties on 
wholesale markets during the month of Ramadan. This measure will knock a 
total of 7% off the cost of basic vegetables such as potatoes, onions and 
tomatoes. Participants in the meeting also agreed to release price 
information to the wholesale markets, to combat pricing speculation.
Steps taken to shore up wheat and flour supplies have allowed these 
products' prices to return to pre-Ramadan levels, including the price of 
bread, which now stands at 1.20 DH per unit. Officials have planned further 
meetings to make sure the decisions they have taken are applied.

http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2007/09/26/newsbrief-01

Moroccans protest soaring food prices
26/09/2007

[File] A police team stands on the sidelines of the Sefrou protest
Protests continued in Morocco over high food prices on Tuesday (September 
25th), two days after a sit-in degenerated into riots in the town of Sefrou, 
where protesters clashed with police and set fire to cars. The protests, the 
latest of which took place in Rabat, were organised by the Moroccan 
Association for Human Rights, which has called for more protests later this 
week.
The protests reportedly aimed to force the government to cancel a 30% 
increase in the price of bread. The price hike had been announced before 
Ramadan as a response to the rising cost of grain on the international 
market. Moroccan Interior minister Chakib Benmoussa called an emergency 
government meeting on Monday (September 24th), after which the price hike 
was annulled.

http://arabist.net/archives/2007/09/27/moroccan-unrest-over-bread-price/

Moroccan Unrest Over Bread Price
Moroccan Unrest Over Bread Price:
CASABLANCA, Morocco - Violent protests over the cost of bread prompted the 
Moroccan government to annul a 30 percent price hike linked to soaring 
global grain costs.
Protesters clashed with police, cars were torched and buildings damaged in 
the demonstrations Sunday in Sefrou, 120 miles east of the capital Rabat. 
Some 300 people suffered injuries, Moroccan newspapers reported Tuesday. The 
state news agency said more than 30 people were arrested.
The government held an emergency meeting Monday, and Interior Minister 
Chakib Benmoussa ordered the price hike canceled, the Interior Ministry 
said.
Amid rising world prices for wheat, the government authorized a bread price 
rise of 30 percent on Sept. 10, soon before the start of Ramadan. Moroccan 
consumption of breads and pastries rises sharply during the Muslim holy 
month, as families hold large feasts after sundown to break the all-day 
fast.
In the past, bread riots were violently repressed in Morocco and the 
continuation of this trend could point to a return to the social instability 
of the 1980s and earlier. Morocco is relatively unique among Arab countries 
in being extremely exposed to rises in fuel and other prices, with the 
resulting pressure on the state budgets and on social peace. As in Egypt, 
which remains much, much more subsidized than Morocco is, there has been a 
grassroots movement growing over the past two years against the cost of 
life. Drawn largely from the ranks of the left (notably ATTAC Maroc) and 
associated with the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH from its 
French acronym), in a sense it has been more active on this crucial issue 
than Islamist parties such as the PJD or movements like Adl wal Ihsan. Last 
May, five protesters from the AMDH were given a ridiculous three-year 
sentence for chanting slogans hostile to the monarchy, one of the many signs 
that Morocco has not entirely stopped the bad old practices of the Hassan II 
regime.
A situation like the current one, with genuine economic pressures on a 
technocratic government keen to balance its budget and on a population 
finding it ever harder to make ends meet (just as the small upper middle 
class is encouraged to consume ever more - there are advertisements for bank 
loans to buy plasma screen TVs all over the place in the big cities - could 
develop into a very serious issue for the new government of Abbas al-Fassi. 
No doubt Morocco will be appealing to major grain producers to provide some 
relief.
Published by arabist September 27th, 2007