Large forest fire in the Rif: ‘the fire brigade can’t reach it’.
A large forest fire has broken out in the Rif area. The municipalities of Tafersit and Ifarni in the province of Drioch, between the cities of Nador and Al Hoceima, were particularly affected. The people there watch helplessly as the sea of flames destroys their homes. It is not known whether the Moroccan authorities have an evacuation plan.
The fire broke out at Ifarni on Thursday morning, 8 August, and had spread further. The strong development of smoke is visible as far as the neighboring city of Al Hoceima and the ‘Spanish’ island of Nekour. The fire brigade only arrived in the afternoon in the area that does not have a road network and is therefore not accessible to vehicles. The firefighters, like residents, jut watch the burning area and try to extinguish the fire with a pickaxe and a shovel. Just last week, a young girl in Allal Bahraoui near Khemisset was burned alive in a house after the fire department, according to local residents, arrived far too late and once on the spot it appears that the extinguishing equipment is inadequate. There are shocking videos on the Internet of the burning young girl.
There is a helicopter circulating in the air above the location where the fire is raging, and the people in the area do not know exactly what the purpose of this war machine is, which is flying over their heads. It is reminiscent of the wave of arrests of activists from the Rif people’s movement in 2017 who were brought to Casablanca by helicopter, handcuffed and blindfolded, and also of the helicopter that in the same year brought the coffin containing the ‘body’ of Imad El Attabi to Al Hoceima airport. The coffin was sealed, his family was not allowed to say goodbye to him for the last time.
According to the locals there was nowhere to turn for help, the representatives of the Moroccan authorities have been to the affected area but have left without telling the residents what is being done about the fire. It is not known whether the Moroccan authorities have an evacuation plan. The Rif region is regularly affected by natural disasters such as the earthquake in February 2004, which killed 629 people and injured 929 people *.
The neighbouring region of Al Hoceima is a military area where many soldiers are stationed, and since the outbreak of the Riffian people’s movement in 2016 after the death of the fish monger Muhsin Fikri, many forces of order have been deployed in the Rif. As in the 2004 earthquake, the army was not used to rebuild the affected Rif areas, as a civil society organisation from Al Hoceima had recommended to Mohamed VI’s advisers. The large force in the Rif, or part of it, could have been deployed to help with fire extinguishing, just as in the earthquake of 1960 in Agadir, when the army, led by Crown Prince Hassan, was ordered for support and humanitarian tasks. In Al Hoceima, the army was deployed in 2004 to keep the population under control for security reasons. The fire brigades in Morocco fall under the Ministry of the Interior and words used to repress the demonstrations. According to several people from Al Hoceima there are people buried in the fire station of the city, they are said to have died during the popular protests of January 1984.
On Sunday 11 August the fire seems to have been extinguished, the people in the affected area report the presence of fire planes. Morocco has 7 fire-fighting aircraft, but it is not known whether they will be active in the Rif. Rifinian social media activists report that the fire-fighting planes are Spanish and that they came flying from the city of Melilla. The Moroccan authorities keep the media silent on the subject, strangely enough, no Moroccan official has so far made any statements to the press about the forest fire.
The affected area covers between 400 and 500 hectares and consists of forests, but there is also agricultural land belonging to the local residents. Since August is the month of harvest, the farmers have suffered a great deal of damage, which they have nowhere to go. The area falls under the tribe Ayt Tuzin and is known to the Rif for its olive oil and honey. The forest area consists of Eucalyptus, pine trees and olive trees, there live various animal species such as wild boar, hares and foxes. There is also the classic beekeeping.
So far there have been no reports of fatalities. The fear and anxiety are very high, especially among children. The exact cause of the fire is unknown.
* Mimoun Harnafi, Taj-Eddine Cherkaoui 2004: Le séisme d’Al Hoceima du 24 février 2004. Rapport préliminaire de mission du 3 au 7 mars 2004.
With thanks to the Riffian linguist Chahid Andich who comes from the affected area.
