The Moroccan government under fire. Demonstrations were held on the evening of Saturday 8 April in different cities in Morocco to protest against soaring food prices, at the call of a coalition of left-wing parties.

In Casablanca, more than sixty people demonstrated their "fed up" against the high cost of living, Sraghna Square, in a popular district of the city, noted an AFP journalist.

"I can't take it anymore, life has become difficult because of the rise in prices," said Fouad, 21, who took part in the protest called by the Social Front, a coalition of left-wing parties and trade unions. "I feel like I have no future," added the young apprentice tailor.

"We denounce the policy of the government, which promised to be a government of the 'social state' but which turns out to be one of social disparities," Abdelkader Amri, a member of the executive board of the left-wing Democratic Confederation of Labour (CDT), told AFP.

Groups of protesters also gathered in Rabat, Tangier and Marrakech.

"The rise in prices is a shame", "Our country is agricultural but vegetables are expensive", chanted some sixty protesters gathered in front of the Parliament, in the capital, reported an AFP journalist.

Runaway inflation in the middle of Ramadan

These protests come in a context of strong inflationary surge. The Moroccan government has been heavily criticised by trade unions, the parliamentary opposition and local media.

The inflation rate reached 9.4% in the first quarter of 2023 against 4% in the same period last year, according to the High Commission for Planning (HCP). This inflation is accentuated by the sharp rise in food prices (+18.2%) in the middle of the holy month of Ramadan, when the level of consumption usually increases.

Growth rebounded to +3% in the first quarter of 2023, compared to +0.3% during the same period last year, according to the HCP.

At the same time, the Central Bank of Morocco (BAM) raised its key interest rate by 21 basis points to 50% on 3 March in order to stem the rise in prices affecting low-income and vulnerable households. This is the third time the BAM has raised its key interest rate since September 2022.

A decision that goes against the government's roadmap, which relies on an economic recovery.

With AFP

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