RABAT, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Moroccan Prime Minister Saadeddine El Othmani hailed on Wednesday the calm situation in the northeastern region after nine months of protests, the Moroccan daily Al Massae reported.
He also promised weekly governmental visits to the region to ensure the implementation of scheduled development projects.
Since the weekend, the protests have been reduced significantly, and normal life is starting to prevail in the downtown of the city of Al Hociema, according to Al Massae.
"Apart from some protests in the town of Imzouren during the visit of the new governor of the province of Al Hoceima Fouad Chourak to the town, there has been no more protest in the region during the last few days," it said.
At a press conference last week, El Othmani called for calm and stability in the region to allow development projects to be implemented as quickly as possible.
In 2015, Morocco launched Lighthouse of the Mediterranean, a large-scale development program in the northeastern city of Al Hociema, but many of its projects have been marred by delays.
El Othmani said the investigation committee set up by king Mohammed VI has started its work to hold related officials responsible for the delays.
He also said the government has withdrawn police from the main sites of protests following directives from the king.
However, the protesters and rights groups call for the immediate release of the arrested, while the government insists on the independence of the justice.
Another issue at stake is saving the summer tourist season in the region, especially in the locally famous beaches of the Mediterranean city of Al Hoceima.
In order to boost tourism in the city, the national carrier Royal Air Maroc announced on Wednesday new competitive prices for flights to the city from Casablanca and Tangier.
But these efforts remain fragile unless a complete stability comes back to the city and its neighbouring towns.
The situation in Al Hoceima has been tense since October 2016, when fish vendor Mouhcine Fikri was crushed to death after climbing into a rubbish lorry to retrieve his swordfish confiscated by police.
The demand for justice for Fikri in the northeastern region has evolved into a major grassroots movement to request greater government investment to create more jobs.
Morocco has not witnessed any protests of this size since the pro-democracy demonstrations during the Arab spring in 2011.
