Morocco's Gen Z protesters demand accountability and education reform

CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — Refusing to let the coming wave of fanfare around December’s Africa Cup of Nations overshadow their demands, protesters in Morocco urged a boycott of soccer matches at the country’s new stadiums. On Saturday, they reiterated previous demands and called for the release of demonstrators arrested during earlier Gen Z 212 protests.

After an eight-day pause, hundreds of young demonstrators took to the streets on Saturday as part of an effort to show they remained committed to protesting corruption and subpar healthcare and education.

In several cities -- including Casablanca and Tangier -- hundreds of young protesters once again voiced anger at elected officials, demanding the ouster of Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch, who they called corrupt.

The protests, smaller in numbers, came eight days after King Mohammed VI in a speech at Morocco’s parliament did not address the Gen Z 212 protests directly. He neither touched on their demands to dismiss Akhannouch nor the stadiums being built for the 2030 FIFA World Cup. He said that national projects and social programs could advance together.

“There should be no contradiction or competition between major national projects and social programs, as both share the same goal: developing the country and improving the living conditions of citizens,” Mohammed VI said in his speech, which many interpreted as an indirect response to protesters who criticized Morocco for prioritizing spending on sports infrastructure over social and economic projects.

Demonstrators on Saturday again chanted, “Stadiums are here, but where are the hospitals?” and in unison called on Morocco to “Boycott the stadiums.”

Protesters told The Associated Press they would boycott the upcoming African Cup of Nations, which Morocco will host in December, in a show of disapproval. Most declined to provide their names out of fear of retribution due to previous arrests at protests.

Angry about disparities between public and private schools, they chanted against politicians who send their kids to private schools rather than the ones their own government oversees.

“I’m done with school and studying, but I’m here demanding reforms for the generations to come,” one protester said, recounting being thrown out of class for not being able to get a needed textbook.

The protests are led by Gen Z 212, a grassroots movement that organizes demonstrations on social media platforms like Discord, an app popular among gamers and teenagers, where they now have more than 200,000 subscribers. It announced protests in more than a dozen cities for Saturday after an eight-day hiatus.

Education is a focal point of their demands, specifically policies designed to expand private school enrollment. Since 2000, the number of students enrolled in private universities has increased more than sixfold, according to government data from 2024.

State audits have documented teacher shortages, regional disparities and transportation problems, particularly in rural areas where government services have long been lacking.

Measures the government has taken to improve education have not produced the desired impact on improving school quality or student retention, according to government audits.

Politicians have pledged to reallocate funds to healthcare and education to accelerate improvements. Finance Minister Nadia Fettah Alaoui said at a World Bank meeting in Washington this week that doing so would be a focus of this year’s government budget.

Morocco’s Gen Z-led protests have drawn inspiration from similar movements in nations like Nepal. After eight women died giving birth in a public hospital in Agadir, a coastal city 296 miles (477 kilometers) from the capital Rabat, they set off a wave of fury that then spread nationwide.

The protests turned violent in some cities and small towns earlier this month. Police forces killed three who they said were attempting to storm one of their posts as many sustained injuries and authorities reported widespread vandalism.

Local media outlets said more 400 people across Morocco were arrested for vandalism linked to protests, some of them held in custody for investigation. And a court in Agadir handed down 17 defendants a total of 162 years for vandalism.

People take part in a youth led protest calling for education and healthcare reforms, in Tangier, Morocco, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

People take part in a youth led protest calling for education and healthcare reforms, in Tangier, Morocco, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

People take part in a youth led protest calling for education and healthcare reforms, in Tangier, Morocco, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

People take part in a youth led protest calling for education and healthcare reforms, in Tangier, Morocco, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

Uvira, CONGO (AP) — A climate of fear reigned Saturday in Uvira, a strategic city in eastern Congo, days after it fell to the Rwanda -backed M23 group, as fighting in the region escalated despite a U.S. mediated peace deal.

The Associated Press gained rare access to the city, which was the Congo government’s last major foothold in South Kivu province after the provincial capital of Bukavu fell to the rebels in February. Its capture allows the rebels to consolidate a broad corridor of influence across the east.

M23 said it took control of Uvira earlier this week, following a rapid offensive launched at the start of the month. Along with the more than 400 people killed, about 200,000 have been displaced, regional officials say.

On Saturday, the situation in Uvira still had not returned to normal. There was absolute silence and no traffic, apart from military jeeps circulating on the empty streets. The banks were closed and people have not resumed their jobs — only a few dared to go out during the day, and no one ventured outside after sunset, with armed M23 fighters patrolling the city.

“Some people left the city, but we stayed," Maria Esther, a 45-year-old mother of 10, told AP. “But the situation hasn’t returned to normal, we haven’t resumed our usual activities because there’s no money circulating.”

Joli Bulambo, another resident of Uvira, said: “People thought that the situation that had happened in Goma with the deaths would be the same here in Uvira, but fortunately, there were not many deaths because God helped."

The rebels’ latest offensive comes despite a U.S.-mediated peace agreement signed last week by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents in Washington.

The United States accused Rwanda of violating the agreement by backing a deadly new rebel offensive in the mineral-rich eastern Congo, and warned that the Trump administration will take action against “spoilers” of the deal.

The accord didn’t include the rebel group, which is negotiating separately with Congo and agreed earlier this year to a ceasefire that both sides accuse the other of violating. However, it obliges Rwanda to halt support for armed groups like M23 and work to end hostilities.

Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, said on X on Saturday: “Rwanda’s actions in eastern DRC are a clear violation of the Washington Accords signed by President Trump, and the United States will take action to ensure promises made to the President are kept.”

There was no immediate reaction from Rwanda.

The rebels’ advance pushed the conflict to the doorstep of neighboring Burundi, which has maintained troops in eastern Congo for years, heightening fears of a broader regional spillover.

More than 100 armed groups are vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo, near the border with Rwanda, most prominently M23. The conflict has created one of the world’s most significant humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced, according to the U.N. agency for refugees.

Local U.N. partners report that more than 200,000 people have been displaced across the province since Dec. 2. Civilians also have crossed into Burundi, and there have been reports of shells falling in the town of Rugombo, on the Burundian side of the border, raising concerns about the conflict spilling over into Burundian territory.

Congo, the U.S. and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which has grown from hundreds of members in 2021 to around 6,500 fighters, according to the U.N.

Congo’s Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner on Friday accused Rwanda of trampling on the peace agreement, which she described as bringing “hope of a historic turning point.”

She warned, however, that the “entire process … is at stake,” and urged the Security Council to impose sanctions against military and political leaders responsible for the attacks, ban mineral exports from Rwanda and prohibit it from contributing troops to U.N. peacekeeping missions.

“Rwanda continues to benefit, especially financially but also in terms of reputation, from its status as a troop-contributing country to peacekeeping missions,” Wagner told AP.

Bertrand Bisimwa, deputy coordinator of the AFC/M23 rebel movement told AP in an exclusive interview Friday that peace commitments have remained largely theoretical. “Regardless of the ceasefire agreements we sign and the mutual commitments we make, nothing is implemented on the ground,” he said.

Asked about the expansion of M23 operations toward the Uvira region, Bisimwa said the region was a long-standing hot spot of ethnic tensions and violence. “For a long time, people were attacked and killed because of their community affiliation,” he said.

On Friday, Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told diplomats that Congo had declared it would continue fighting in M23 recaptured territories and it was only after M23 retaliated that the international community “suddenly woke up.”

“The DRC has openly declared that it would not observe any ceasefire and would instead continue fighting to recapture territories held by the AFC/M23, even as the peace process unfolded," he said.

While Rwanda denies the claim that it backs M23, it acknowledged last year that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo, allegedly to safeguard its security. U.N. experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.

Associated Press writers Ruth Alonga in Goma, Congo, and Evelyne Musambi in Nairobi, Kenya, contributed to this report.

A boy walks past a burned-out vehicle as residents return to their homes in Luvungi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

Displaced people who fled the war between FARDC and M23 rebels walk with their belongings as they return to their homes in Luvungi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

A man rides a bicycle along a street as people return to homes in Uvira Democratic Republic of Congo, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

Displaced people who fled the war between FARDC and M23 rebels walk with their belongings as they return to their homes in Luvungi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

People buy and sell as residents return to their homes in Uvira, Democratic Republic of Congo, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

Soldiers patrol as thousands of people fleeing fighting in Congo's South Kivu province arrive in Cibitoke, Kansega, Burundi, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Berthier Mugiraneza)

Internally displaced people (IDPs) fleeing fighting in Congo's South Kivu province arrive in Cibitoke, Kansega, Burundi, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Berthier Mugiraneza)

Internally displaced people (IDPs) who fled fighting in Congo's South Kivu province prepare a meal in Cibitoke, Kansega, Burundi, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Berthier Mugiraneza)

Internally displaced people (IDPs) fleeing fighting in Congo's South Kivu province arrive in Cibitoke, Kansega, Burundi, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Berthier Mugiraneza)

FILE - Democratic Republic of the Congo's Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner attends a signing ceremony for a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the State Departmentin Washington, June 27, 2025. (AP Pho to/Mark Schiefelbein, File)