Three people were killed in southern Morocco on Wednesday when police opened fire on protesters, as youth-led demonstrations escalate against corruption and government spending.
Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch on Thursday said three people had been killed in the protests, raising an earlier toll, in his first public address since the unrest began.
Morocco's state news agency had earlier cited local authorities as saying two “troublemakers” were killed by police acting in self-defence. It said they had been attempting to seize officers' weapons.
Anti-government demonstrators in Morocco filled the streets for a fifth straight night, with protests descending into violence.
The two deaths in Leqliaa, about 500 kilometres south of the capital Rabat, were the first in the current wave of unrest as anger mounts over the state of public services.
The rallies, organised by a leaderless movement dominated by internet-savvy youths, have taken the country by surprise and are some of Morocco’s biggest in years.
Those taking part in the so-called “Gen Z protests” are condemning what they see as widespread corruption. They have contrasted the flow of billions in investment towards preparation for co-hosting the 2030 Fifa World Cup with the dire state of schools and hospitals.
There have been mass arrests of protesters in more than a dozen cities, particularly in places where jobs and social services are scarce.
Footage from media outlets and video filmed by witnesses on Tuesday showed protesters hurling rocks and setting vehicles on fire in cities in the country's east and south, including Inzegane and Ait Amira.
In Oujda, eastern Morocco’s largest city, a police vehicle that rammed into demonstrators left one person injured, the state news agency MAP said.
In its first public statement since the start of the protests on Saturday, Morocco’s Interior Ministry said the anonymously organised demonstrations lacked authorisation and had been dealt with in accordance with the law.
It said those found to be breaking the law would be treated “rigorously and firmly”, adding that 409 people had been taken into police custody.
At least 263 members of law enforcement were injured during the nationwide protests and more than 160 vehicles damaged, the ministry added. At least 23 civilians were injured.
As Morocco prepares to host the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament later this year and politicians gear up for parliamentary elections in 2026, protesters have drawn attention to the depth of disparities in wealth.
Many Moroccans have expressed support for the protest movement, including star goalkeeper Yassine Bounou and rapper ElGrande Toto.
Officials have denied prioritising World Cup spending over public infrastructure, saying problems facing the health sector were inherited from previous governments.
In Morocco’s parliament, the governing majority said it would meet on Thursday to discuss healthcare and hospital reforms as part of a meeting headed by Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.
