31 Moroccan policemen wounded in clashes with protesters

Nearly 31 policemen were wounded in clashes Nearly 31 policemen were wounded in clashes erupted on Sunday and continued till Monday morning between police forces and demonstrators in the town of Imzouren, Morocco. For the past 10 days, residents of the small village of Beni Bouayache in Morocco's northern Rif Mountains have been demonstrating following the arrest of a local activist Bachir Benchaib. On Sunday the protests spread to the town of Imzouren. Clashes broke out as policemen attempted to stop the march.
Bachir Benchaib, leader of the local branch of February 20 pro-democracy movement was arrested on March 2.
The state news agency described Benchaib as a violent gang-member implicated in robberies and other criminal activities.
Since last Wednesday, supporters of Benchaib have been protesting to demand his release. Sit-ins and demonstrations have been dispersed by police with tear gas and water cannons.
Since the beginning of the protests 23 people have been arrested, according to activists’ reports.
The state news agency said a number of police were injured when they stopped a protest march at Imzouren headed for Beni Bouayache. The report said some injuries were grievous without further details.
Chakib al-Khayari, an activist with the Rif Association for Human Rights, said nearly 31 policemen had been injured in Sunday's and Monday’s clashes, but he didn't have figures for the locals wounded.
"We don't know the number of wounded because they can't go to the hospital for fear of arrest," he said.
Morocco's Rif Mountains, which parallel the Mediterranean coast, are one of the poorest parts of the country and have been historically marginalized with little government investment.
Clashes with security forces generally now take place at night, said al-Khayari.
He predicted that the protests, which have included demands for more electricity and water in their village, would continue.
"They want their rights and a better life," al-Khayari. "They have nothing in this region."
The Rif Mountains were once an independent republic in the 1920s, until the region was reconquered by the French in 1926. After independence from France, the region revolted against the new Moroccan central government in 1958, before the rebellion was crushed.
Morocco has been witnessing rallies almost every week since last year despite a number of reforms announced by King Mohammed VI.
The new constitution grants more powers to the prime minister but the king still has veto power over most government decisions. However, Moroccans insist that the reforms do not go far enough and want deeper political changes as well as a decisive action against corruption and unemployment.