Two people were killed and several others were injured in Lqliaa near Agadir late Wednesday after Moroccan security forces used live ammunition on protesters. 

Moroccan authorities claim police opened fire in an attempt to stop a group of people attempting to seize weapons from a gendarmerie facility.

The incident marks the most violent escalation yet in the anti-government protests that began last weekend with calls for social justice reforms led by a youth group called GenZ 212.

Local authorities further claimed that security forces fired live rounds in self-defense after tear gas failed to deter the group, which was armed with knives and set fire to part of the security compound and a vehicle.

Officials did not specify the exact number of injuries.

Authorities pledge to safeguard right to protest

Earlier in the day, the Interior Ministry pledged to safeguard the right to protest within legal limits, promising to respond with “restraint and avoidance of provocation.”

Read more: Moroccans protest ship carrying arms to 'Israel' at Tangier port

What is GenZ212?

GenZ212 is a youth group that is “driven by young people demanding change,” the group's website says.

“This movement is calling for immediate reforms in the country's healthcare, education, and job sectors, which have long been neglected by the government,” a descriptive statement on the website's home page explains.

Citing the Moroccan government's focus on major infrastructural projects and negligence of basic needs, the group asserts that the voice of the youth feels forgotten by their leaders.

The protests have sparked a slogan that has become synonymous with the GenZ212 cause: "Stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals?" in a reference to state funds being allocated to stadiums in preparation for the 2030 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain.

Read more: Morocco protests escalate into violent clashes with police

Wave of anger spreads across Morocco

The latest unrest quickly spread beyond Agadir. In Sale, near the capital Rabat, groups of young protesters hurled stones at police, looted shops, set fire to banks, and torched police cars, eyewitnesses told Reuters.

In Tangier, youths clashed with security forces by pelting them with stones, while in smaller towns in the Souss region, unrest continued for a second night. In Sidi Bibi, masked demonstrators burned the municipal headquarters and blocked a major road, residents said.

South of Agadir in Biougra, a bank was looted and shops were damaged. In Marrakesh, one of Morocco’s main tourist hubs, violent confrontations broke out after protesters set a police station ablaze, according to local media.

Even the usually quiet town of Taroudant, east of Agadir, witnessed clashes, looted shops, and cars set on fire.

Meanwhile, protests in Casablanca, Morocco’s economic capital, as well as in Oujda and Taza in the east, remained largely peaceful. Demonstrators there called for the resignation of Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch and chanted slogans such as: “The people want to end corruption.”

Read more: In numbers: Arab people don't want to normalize with 'Israel'

Root causes and arrests

The latest wave of anger was sparked by outrage over poor hospital conditions in Agadir, where several women reportedly died due to a lack of care, before rapidly spreading to other cities through youth-led online organizing.

Authorities said 409 people have been detained so far, with 193 facing trial, most on bail, on charges including arson, looting, and attacking security forces.

Morocco’s unemployment rate stands at 12.8%, with youth unemployment reaching 35.8% and graduate unemployment at 19%, according to national statistics. While the country has witnessed repeated peaceful protests over economic and social grievances, this week’s violence is the worst since the 2016–2017 demonstrations in the northern Rif region.

Read more: Moroccan security blocks youth protests over health, education