This Tuesday morning, the residents of the Sukuma neighborhood in the Menara district of Marrakech were greeted by an unusual and intense flurry of activity from local authorities and their aides, alongside national rehabilitation workers and employees from the waste management company. This extraordinary scene involved patching potholes, repainting sidewalks and pathways, and clearing streets and alleys of dust and debris, as well as removing street vendors and hawkers from several main thoroughfares in the area.
The sudden mobilization has sparked widespread questions among residents and civil society organizations regarding the underlying reasons for this field deployment, particularly since the Sukuma neighborhood has, according to many residents, suffered from neglect and a lack of maintenance interventions for years, despite being one of the largest residential areas in the Menara district.
According to information circulating on-site, the reason behind this mobilization appears to be linked to the visit of the Wali of Marrakech-Safi and the head of the Marrakech province, Khalid el-Hbil, who was passing through the dual carriageway that runs through the Sukuma subdivision as part of his agenda to inaugurate a developmental project in the neighboring Bayt Al-Khayr area.
Upon the announcement of the visit, a state of heightened alert ensued in the region, with officials and their aides deployed at various points along the route of the wali’s procession. Meanwhile, machinery was rapidly engaged in filling the potholes along the road, repainting sidewalks, and cleaning the edges of the street. Local associations viewed this as a temporary measure tied to the occasion rather than a sustainable developmental approach that meets the residents’ expectations.
In this context, several civil actors expressed their astonishment at what they described as spatial discrimination among the neighborhoods of the Menara district, questioning why the main entrance of Sukuma, particularly at the Fran Al-Terrab roundabout, was excluded from these urgent works, despite its deteriorating condition filled with potholes and cracks that hinder traffic, especially following recent rainfall.
Local stakeholders pointed out that the neighborhood practically has only one entrance that does not exceed three meters in width, while the second entrance facing the Fran Al-Terrab area has reportedly been illegally encroached upon for years, with commercial shops and garages constructed over part of the public road. They noted that the area's road design intended this passage to connect the neighborhoods of Sukuma, Bayt Al-Khayr, Sudri, and Barada to Avenue Al-Ayoun.
Civil representatives have urged the Wali of the region to take urgent action by sending a specialized committee to investigate what they termed an urban scandal, to hold accountable those responsible for occupying public property and blocking a vital passage. They emphasized that the current situation deprives thousands of families of their right to safe and smooth mobility, exacerbating daily hardships faced by residents due to deteriorating infrastructure.
As reported by jamaalfnapress.ma.
