Rabat, Morocco (TMT)- A young man passed away yesterday in Morocco’s industrial hub Casablanca, one week after he set himself ablaze in front of a small agency belonging to Morocco’s Ministry of Interior in said city.
The 36-year-old young man, who goes by the name Mahfoud Jimi, set himself ablaze, according to his family members, to protest the Moroccan authorities refusal to grant him a residence certificate, mimicking the well-know self-immolation scene of young Tunisian Bouazizi, one that triggered the Arab spring.
Mahfoud poured fuel over himself and set himself alight in front of said agency, after weeks of protesting the authorities not granting him a residence certificate, his family members stress.
The flames were quickly smothered and he was rushed to hospital where he was treated for high degree burns to his face, legs and his hands, before passing away yesterday.
A relative of Mahfoud said that “Mahfoud had a Moroccan national card since 2006, with his current adress in Ain Bourja, Casablanca.”
“I am wondering why did the Mkadam kept refusing to grant Mahfoud one of his most basic rights as a Moroccan citizen, a residence certificate?” his female relative wondered in a very emotional tone.
“Was the Mkadem waiting for a bribe?” the relative wondered.
The Moroccan Times.
