Interior Minister Abdellatif Loudiyi warned on Wednesday evening against any manipulation or appropriation of community lands, emphasizing that “anyone who encroaches on a piece of land or embezzles a single dirham will be held accountable.” He stressed that “it is better for them to return what they took voluntarily; otherwise, they will be compelled to do so.”
Loudiyi’s statements came during a discussion of the Ministry of Interior’s budget in the Interior and Territorial Communities Committee of the House of Representatives, where he spoke firmly about the existence of “files that will be reopened even if they date back years,” indicating that the ministry “will revisit the past to hold accountable anyone who tampered with community properties, whether in Casablanca or any other city.”
He praised the integrity of the majority of local elected officials, stating that “many of them possess a sense of national pride and work sincerely,” but he did not hide his displeasure with a group he described as “very few,” who do not fulfill their duties towards the community and citizens. He explained that some officials “neglect to defend the rights of the community in court or are lax in collecting its revenues,” creating problems for those he termed “honest elected officials.”
The minister urged elected officials to combat these practices within territorial councils, asserting that “tolerance towards those who neglect the rights of the community is a betrayal of trust.”
In another context, Loudiyi reflected on the outcomes of development programs that Morocco has witnessed in recent years, affirming that their impact has been “noticeable in cities, villages, and remote areas,” particularly in the fields of electricity, potable water, and rural infrastructure. He clarified that “Morocco has progressed from a difficult situation in the 1990s to an almost 99 percent rural electrification rate,” with some limited cases remaining due to geographical and technical challenges.
Regarding the provision of drinking water to rural areas, the minister noted that “the challenges were greater due to the nature of the terrain and the number of villages exceeding 49,000,” emphasizing that universal service coverage remains a daunting objective from both a technical and financial standpoint, especially regarding wastewater management.
Loudiyi considered that the greatest challenge facing these programs was “the lack of coordination among sectoral projects,” saying that “each region worked in isolation from the others,” which negatively impacted the overall effectiveness of development.
He concluded by stating that the new approach adopted by the ministry today “is based on listening to citizens on the ground and receiving their proposals and local projects, to ensure that development stems from reality, rather than being imposed by central offices.”
