The nomads of Morocco... their home the hard way
Nomads in Morocco defy living conditions (Moroccan News Agency)
They contributed to several decisive stations in the country's history, most notably the stage of resistance to foreign colonialism during the 20th century
They do not stay in one place, they carry simple provisions and equipment, they hardly settle in one area until they head to another without a predetermined destination, as what drives them mainly is pasture and fodder for their livestock of sheep and goats.
Nomads in Morocco are an integral part of the diverse social fabric, but their numbers decrease with the passage of years for several reasons related to life developments, but the rest of them suffer life and economic difficulties due to drought , lack of water, and the lifestyle of this group of people.
Official data
In the absence of new official numbers, the data of the High Commissioner for Planning, an official institution concerned with statistics, indicate that the number of nomads in 2014, the year of the last general census, was 25,274 people, while the number in the 2004 census, given that it takes place every 10 years, was approximately 65,000. person.
According to the aforementioned official data, the overwhelming majority (95 percent) of nomads in Morocco are located in the eastern and southern regions of the country, especially in the regions of Souss, Da`a, Guelmim, Laayoune and the Sahara in the south.
The statistics of the planning delegates reveal figures concerning the distribution of nomads according to families and age groups. On the families’ side, 8.32 percent of nomadic families consist of eight people, 6.10 percent of these families consist of four people, and 2.68 percent of five or more people. , 1.8 percent from three people, 1.7 percent from two people, and 1.6 percent from only one person.
As for the division according to age groups, according to the same official data, men constitute 52 percent of the nomads in Morocco, and the percentage of those under the age of 15 years is 36 percent, and those whose age exceeds 20 years is 5.47 percent and those whose age is less than 30 years. Their percentage is 5.65 percent.
According to the same numbers, women constitute 48 percent of the total number of nomads, and the nomadic population who can work represents about 57 percent, which means that the remaining 43 percent of nomads are unable to work.
Historical and geographical overview
The Almoravid state was established thanks to the nomads of the Sanhaja region in the medieval era, which was a state of political and military respect, and they contributed abundantly to the establishment of Marrakesh, as is the case for the nomads of the Masmouda region or the nomads of Zanata who contributed to the establishment of the Marinid state.
Nomadic children are deprived of education and their dreams of a better future are aborted (Independent Arabia)
The nomads in Morocco contributed to several crucial milestones in the country's history, most notably the stage of resistance to foreign colonialism during the 20th century. Geographically, the nomads are currently distributed in two main directions, the first is in the southeast of the country and they are mostly Amazighs from the High or Small Atlas Mountains, and the second is the nomads of the desert regions who depend more on camels for grazing.
difficult living conditions
A number of nomads suffer from hardship in a number of regions of Morocco due to the variability of climatic conditions, such as drought, which leads to water scarcity, and thus less pasture and fodder for their livestock and herds of sheep, which makes their living conditions difficult.
Jamoul Hamid, a young man from a nomadic tribe in southern Morocco , summarizes the nomadic living conditions and their living conditions, as pasture and fodder are the main source of livelihood for this segment of the population, and any shortage in it means a shortage in those resources.
He adds that the nomads and their children find it difficult to receive medicine and treatment because of the conditions of their constant movement, as they only stay a little in one area before moving to another place because of the permanent grazing that accompanies their lives.
Jamoul continues, "The same problem arises with regard to the education of nomadic children, as they often drop out of school and do not continue their education in view of the conditions of permanent travel that do not allow them to settle," adding that "the nomads who chose to break with this lifestyle are the ones who were able to education of their children.
These conditions were conveyed by Moroccan parliamentarians to the House of Representatives to demand that the government create official programs to improve the lives of nomads, including parliamentarian Fatima Yassin, who said that "the living conditions of nomads have become very difficult due to drought and water scarcity, as they endure great suffering in movement in order to fetch drinking water and water livestock." .
According to Yassin, "the reality of these nomads is characterized by the absence of the minimum health conditions in the absence of medical convoys or health centers, in addition to the fact that the children of these nomads do not enjoy their constitutional right to education, which requires government care for this category of citizens."
The other face
The nomadic shepherds also have another aspect, as they are often accused of overgrazing and clashing with the settled population as a result, especially in the Berber Souss areas, as their herds cause damage to the agricultural crops of the population. Those affected by the overgrazing of nomads in the Souss regions organize frequent stops in front of the parliament headquarters in Rabat in order to draw the attention of the authorities to their situation and to put an end to what they call the security chaos behind which the nomadic herders stand.
In this context, Ayoub Daali, one of those affected by the behavior of the nomadic shepherds, says that the crops of his field are often invaded by the nomadic cattle and spoiled, despite the protests of the owners of these herds. He adds that the reactions of the nomads differ between those who may understand and apologize and not repeat the ball, and those who do not care about the complaint and let their livestock wreak havoc on the crops, as they do not care about the losses that occur to the settled population, and they quickly move to other regions to repeat their actions.
Parliamentarian Nabila Mounib recently carried this file to the government by asking it under the dome of parliament about effective solutions to this problem and compensation for those affected, and she said, "The residents of the Souss regions suffer huge losses in agricultural crops from almonds, argan, and others, which are their source of livelihood, in addition to destroying the property of the population, and even reaching The matter turned into physical and moral assaults, beating, wounding and insulting against all those who stood in the face of the "unjust shepherds".
For her part, Parliamentarian Aisha Lubalq stated that "the residents of the Guelmim region are subjected to repeated attacks by nomads on their property, which fueled a wave of protests that may turn into confrontations," calling for the implementation of the state's authority to protect the population and preserve their property.
Source : websites