Sit-in in Morocco’s south still going strong as it enters its seventh year
After six years of an uninterrupted sit-in, the inhabitants of Imider in southeast Morocco march to reaffirm their demands.
CASABLANCA, Morocco — The inhabitants of Imider — a group of seven villages in southeastern Morocco — marched on Aug. 1 to Mount Alebban, where they have been holding a sit-in for six years to reaffirm the demands of their long and ongoing protest movement.
In August 2011, Imider residents climbed to the top of the 1,400-meter (4,600-foot) hill to claim the right to access the water resources of their region and live in a healthy environment. A few miles away lies the biggest silver mine in Africa, which the residents say ejects harmful chemicals, pollutes their air, water and soil, and uses the already scarce water resources of the region.
