Nasser Zefzafi still jailed in Tangier as Rif anniversary marks a decade

Ten years after the Hirak uprising swept through the northern Rif mountains, the movement’s central figures are still locked in cells. The anniversary of the protests falls on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. Six prominent activists remain behind bars, and the economic grievances that sparked the initial demonstrations have yet to be resolved by the state.

The conflict began on October 28, 2016, when fishmonger Mouhcine Fikri was crushed inside a municipal rubbish truck in Al Hoceima. He was attempting to retrieve his catch after officials had confiscated it. Crowds soon took to the streets to demand an end to poverty and marginalization. Nasser Zefzafi, the movement’s most visible leader, was later sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Historian Maati Monjib describes the uprising as a major social movement in Morocco since King Mohammed VI ascended to the throne in 1999. Authorities initially tolerated the demonstrations for several months before a crackdown in late May 2017 resulted in hundreds of arrests. Officials labeled the movement separatist, a designation Monjib calls a false accusation designed to discredit the group. He notes that only a small minority of activists voiced separatist views, primarily in online Facebook groups, and that the jailed leaders never adopted such a stance.

The situation escalated on July 20, 2017, when riot police used tear gas and batons to disperse crowds in Al Hoceima. Twenty-two-year-old Imad el-Attabi was severely injured during the dispersal and died the following month. His death triggered solidarity protests across the country that summer.

Nabil Ahamjik, also serving a 20-year sentence, was arrested in 2017. His brother Mohamed says Nabil was motivated by a rejection of 'hogra,' a term for humiliation and oppression. Currently held in Tangier after multiple prison transfers, Nabil wrote a master's thesis from his cell regarding the Rif's relationship with the state. He earned a grade of 18 out of 20 on the work. Now a doctoral student, he staged a 10-day hunger strike last month after being denied adequate space to continue his PhD research.

Rights groups have criticized the arrests, alleging torture and violations of fair-trial standards. The repression has extended to activists abroad. Said El Amrani, a digital creator who moved to Belgium in the 1990s, has not returned to Morocco since 2016. He reports that at least 11 activists have been arrested upon arrival in the country since the movement began, with one still in custody. He also notes that manipulated images of his daughter were circulated online and that at least five new police stations have been built in the region.

The Rif region has a long history of revolt, from the 1921 to 1926 war against Spanish and French forces to the rule of Hassan II. Jamal El Khattabi, who was arrested twice under Hassan II, described being tortured in Casablanca in 1989 before fleeing to Spain and later the Netherlands. Constitutional changes following the 2011 Arab Spring formally limited the monarchy's powers, but reform hopes have faded. Reports from the past decade cite surveillance, including the use of Pegasus spyware, and defamation campaigns against activists.

Last year, Gen Z protests over public services and corruption were crushed within weeks, resulting in 6,000 arrests. The Moroccan Association for Human Rights states that around 700 people remain jailed, including dozens of minors. Despite rapid economic growth and the election of the kingdom's first female prime minister last month, youth unemployment stands at 37 percent. This summer, tens of thousands of Moroccans, many from the Rif, attempted to cross into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. The state has opened a new university faculty affiliated with the University of Tetouan and built a hospital, but El Amrani says the facility lacks sufficient medical staff.