Morocco Time

The silver mine owned by SMI (Société Minière d’Imiter) that’s just outside of Tinerhir appears to be stealing the all the water in the region – putting the local farmers and villagers in quite a bind.

(this is not the main mine location, but the same area)

The article can be read in its original Italian here, but here’s a translation to English :

TRAVEL BETWEEN REBELS OF IMITER

About 200 km north-east of Ouarzazate, en route to Tinghir, the street and its surroundings take on a gray shade slowly and mountains draw near approach of the village will imitate.

The color of the slopes reveals the presence of silver deposits, hidden in the bowels of the hills.

In the main village of the town seems to mimic that time has decided to stop: there are no kiosks, no newspapers, no Internet access or secondary education establishments.

Not even the election campaign [for the legislative elections of November 25, ed] seems to have found a way to get up here.

No poster pasted on the walls and not a single candidate who throws in the classic door to door to win over voters. “Of the elections we care. This will not be staging that will change our daily lives,” says Brahim, an unemployed person in the township.

The inhabitants of Imiter are in revolt. The eight thousand damned in the region occur daily for the past five months.

With their action they wish to denounce the state of poverty and destitution in which they end up living, but especially the uncontrolled exploitation of natural resources in the region, without anything in return is to the local population.

Their Mali them summed up in one word, the NEB, the holding company for real (SNI became in 2010) which has permission to use the silver mine, one of the most important in Africa, through its local subsidiary , of the Société Minière imitate (SMI).

The march of thirst

It all starts at the beginning of the summer holidays.

Students of the village, returning from the University of Errachidia, Marrakech and Agadir, asking how an annual seasonal work in the mine. And like every year, SMI assumes a fortnight.

But this time, the excluded do not hesitate to express their anger and their disappointment.

“How can a company that collects hundreds of millions of dirhams by extracting minerals from our land claims to not have the means to ensure a job, even seasonal?”, Asks the young unemployed.

But the straw that breaks the camel comes a few weeks later, when the locals see decrease the supply of drinking water, until complete withdrawal.

“Within weeks of Ramadan, the tap water flowing just thirty minutes a day,” says Brahim.

This episode takes the form a vast movement of social protest and civil disobedience, the echoes of which will soon reach the great cities of the Atlantic coast.

At first the students and the unemployed of the city leading the protest, but their ranks will soon add other residents fed up now unsustainability of their condition.

Together they decide to make a daily “march of thirst” from the center of the village to the entrance of the mine. Therefore, any party company’s exploitation is worthy to receive you or listen to their demands.

Thus, the “rebels” to imitate decide to radicalize their protest action and cut the water supply to the mine.

“They steal all the water and nobody is willing to make justice. So we took the initiative, decided to meet head-on!” Says the student Omar Moujani.

During the month of August, in the middle of Ramadan, more than a thousand people camped atop Mount Alebban – 1400 m above sea level – next to the largest château d’eau of the mine.

Since then there have been four months and the sit-in continues. The “guardians” of the source does not intend to abandon the summit, nor their battle.

The source of anger

According to residents, the water resources of the region have fallen dramatically in the last decade, since in 2004, SMI has dug a new well nell’altopiano, punching up to 40 m depth.

The well has become a vital element for the cave of silver, while farmers in the area were without water and have seen their crops die out quickly.

“Since we have taken the source, the village has not had any problems with the supply of water,” explains Moujani.

For its part, SMI denies the existence of any link between the drilling and water supply problems to the surrounding villages.

“There are three different khettarat (irrigation systems) in the region and our studies confirm that these systems are independent from our mining operations,” says Youssef El Hajam, general manager of the company, adding: “As far as we are concerned, we have suits the necessary permits since 2004, permits have been renewed by the authorities in 2009. ”

Hard to imagine the opposite, in fact, since the firm belongs to the sovereign, “the supreme representative of the nation” (Article 42 of the Constitution).

For the director of El Hajam, water problems depend exclusively on rainfall: “In recent years rainfall has been scarce on the plateau, it is normal that the whole area will suffer.”

It is not normal, however, that the few remaining water resources are used for private enrichment rather than for the existence of the local population.

The struggle continues

A few weeks before the rebellion, the mining company has started negotiations with the “rebels”, but negotiations have stalled soon.

“The SMI has proposed funding to solve minor problems quotas, but he never put on the table a comprehensive solution to uplift the marginalized imitate,” says Brahim, who insisted: “The company takes advantage of the riches that lie beneath our lands, consequently it is his duty and made it a priority to participate in the development of the region. It ‘is inadmissible, despite the increase in its turnover, continue to ignore our demands, certainly not impossible to satisfy. ”

In addition to the jobs and the restoration of water supply, the residents claim to imitate a greater investment in basic infrastructure and public services, virtually absent.

“The nearest school is 30 km from here, the hospital needs at least 2 hours by car – if you have it – and the small infirmary of the village is open from Monday to Thursday until 15, not to mention that between the available drugs do not even paracetamol “, warns the young unemployed.

After occupying the town hall – “it is useless” – small-town students have threatened to boycott the schools and to “pass the year in white,” if the situation does not change.

“We have unanimously decided that this year no child will go over the area either at school or university,” said Omar Moujani.

The tone of the confrontation are growing and the “rebels” to imitate are determined to continue their struggle until the end.

A determination that does not seem unscathed by the harsh climatic conditions or the plateau or intimidation by the police, which proceed – briefly – to occasional arrests.

“We will stay in the camp throughout the winter, if necessary. Our demands remain the same and our struggle will continue to be peaceful,” said Brahim. Until when?

FORM: Democracy Amazigh

“Orphans of Masinissa,” as the kids like to call the region, retain a very strong bond with the land ownership and its natural resources

This attachment is able to give courage and strength that neither the prosecution nor the weather conditions seem to be able to notch.

Descendants of the tribe of the Ait Atta – who like Ait Baamrane southern Atlantic coast has been a bastion of resistance to colonialism – the residents do not have to imitate a leader or a council of “wise men” who makes the decisions.

All the contributors – adolescents, adults and seniors – in convention assembled, according to a form of direct democracy has always applied to the inside of the tribes amazighes