Protests arise in Tendrara after a 10-year-old child was hit by a truck

Protests have erupted on Thursday, 11th of January, in Tendrara, a town and rural commune in the Oriental region, after a 10-year-old boy was rammed over by a truck. According to Bousmaha Bahloul, a member of the regional bureau of the Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH) in Oujda, the inhabitants of the village took their anger to the streets because «the ambulance had a one-hour delay before making it on site». The activist told Yabiladi that «the kid passed away on scene because of the ambulance’ delay».

According to Alyaoum 24, the inhabitants of Tendrara insisted to bring the deceased to the mosque and refused to let the authorities transfer him to the town’s mortuary. Based on Bousmaha’s account, the security forces dispersed the protesters and clashes erupted between the two parties. «Three people were arrested, and they are still detained by the authorities», he said.

The inhabitants' anger

Videos from the city emerged on social media showing a number of people gathering around a truck, chanting slogans and denouncing the marginalization of the region. They protested against the ambulance's delay, insisting that officials from the Ministry of Health and local authorities should be held accountable for this tragic incident.

In one of the videos published online, one of the protesters shouted saying «while we were waiting for the ambulance, they sent us firemen instead. This incident is the straw that broke the camel’s back, we are suffering from marginalization».

On the other hand, Hassan, an eyewitness living in Tendrara told Yabiladi that the truck that killed the child is a state-owned vehicle that was speeding. «We hold officials fully responsible for the absence of road signs (…) in addition to the ambulance’s delay», he argued.

The authorities' account

Meanwhile, MAP news agency issued an article on Thursday, reporting the authorities’ version of the story. Accordingly, local authorities were forced to intervene to restrain order in Tendrara after a group of people refused to let them transfer an injured person to the hospital.

Moreover, an investigation was opened to determine the circumstances of the deadly incident and also to take the necessary measures regarding the individuals who blocked the authorities from assisting a person in danger.