“It looks like a bomb just exploded,” said Layla Izem, a long-time resident of the Moroccan surf town of Imsouane, whose home was crushed by bulldozers last month.
Ms Izem* was given only 24 hours' notice to leave, and then only verbally, despite her husband’s family having lived in the property for 40 years.
Hers was one of dozens that were flattened by authorities over several days beginning on January 19, leaving residents homeless and confused by the sudden and unexplained bulldozing of their properties.
According to reports, the properties are technically illegal as they are unlicensed, despite many of them having been there for decades.
Issa Ouchen, the owner of two businesses and a home in Imsouane, estimates that around 30 businesses and 80 houses were destroyed.
“We were all staring in disbelief,” said Mr Ouchen, describing the moment he watched everything he had built being razed.
His restaurant and small hostel had existed in Imsouane for seven years.
“The scene was chaos, people were frantically running everywhere moving stuff, trying to save their possessions, or as much as they could,” said Mr Ouchen, describing the lead-up to the mass demolition, in which the police, army and heavy machinery descended on the town after residents were given just one day's notice.
“A day is not long enough for much of a town to vacate,” he said.
The demolitions have left about 150 people displaced or without an income in what was a thriving tourist hot spot.
Surfers' paradise
Imsouane, an hour and a half north of Agadir, was originally a small community with a few fishermen's houses.
It was discovered by surfers in the 1980s and became legendary in the global surfing community in the decades that followed. Surfers raved about its freakishly long right-hand wave, which perfectly peels for almost a kilometre, and dubbed it “the Magic Bay”.
As it became one of Africa's most popular surf destinations, shops, cafes, accommodation and other businesses emerged over years.
The “characteristic charm” and hippie feel of the town brought in the international surfing community. The visitors brought their spending power, providing an income for many locals who rented outboards, cooked food and provided accommodation for surfers.
Imsouane's Tasblast or Cathedral area was built up with white and blue painted structures and cave houses resembling the iconic homes on the Greek island of Santorini.
All of them have now been destroyed.
“These buildings were like those in the Madinah of Marrakesh,” said Mr Ouchen.
No explanation
Youssef Mohamed* bought one of the oldest cave houses in the area in 2020. His property was built in the late 1960s, and he admits he knew it did not comply with public maritime domain laws. “Land 30 metres from the ocean is owned by the government,” he said.
Many buildings were not “viable”, claims Mr Mohamed, explaining that they didn’t follow “official plans” and some were “without proper sewage systems”.
He had made his house into an eco-property, with off-grid sewage and recycled water systems. Decades after its construction, he says he was making inroads with the authorities to make his home legal, but his efforts were in vain.
“The government did not take the time to see how it could regulate certain structures in the area, it just took out everything,” he said.
“The demolition was so fast. They didn't take the time to study each case separately,” he said.
He believes some of Imsouane’s culture and heritage has been eradicated with the destruction of its iconic blue-and-white buildings.
Mr Ouchen is now homeless, and he and six employees have also been left without an income.
“It felt like they didn’t care if we had bills to pay or if we had a family to support,” he said. “It has destroyed me.”
Imsouane residents are still searching for official answers as to why the demolition happened now, so quickly, and whether they will be offered housing or compensation.
“Residents haven’t been told why it happened. There’s speculation that authorities want to build a fancy hotel, but we have no idea,” said Mr Ouchen. “I paid my tax on time.”
'Keep our memory alive'
French photographer and surfer Nick Pescetto was travelling in Morocco at the time of the demolitions in Imsouane. Before the destruction “it was the perfect place for surfers”, he said.
“The waves are beginner and intermediate-friendly. The wave is a longboard wave, the vibe was pretty chill. It was a beautiful place to meet people from all over the world who were surfing, travelling and getting to know a different culture.”
He documented the scenes of destruction. “It was pretty intense,” he said.
Some travellers helped to hand out food and water in the days following the demolitions, and the surf community rallied together to find temporary housing for those displaced, but as time goes on, former residents need a more permanent solution.
They fear this is only the beginning, and that other coastal towns could be at risk.
“[Parts of] Imsouane are now empty, there are no more guests, no more tourists – just destruction,” says Mr Ouchen.
Locals are urging prospective tourists not to cancel their holidays to Imsouane, as other areas of the town still have guesthouses and coffee shops and the waves are still rolling. The local community still needs visitors.
Mr Mohamed wants authorities to do due diligence before repeating the methods used in Imsouane.
“In the name and benefit of our country’s long history and heritage, authorities should consider leaving certain constructions even if they are on the maritime domain,” he said.
“We should keep our memory alive, remembering our past and stepping confidently into the future.”
The National contacted Imsouane’s local authority, Agadir Commune, Insouame Commune, plus the Préfecture d'Agadir ida Outanane for comment on the demolition. It has not received any response.
* Names have been changed for legal reasons
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)
Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15
Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)
Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49
The five pillars of Islam
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
More from Neighbourhood Watch
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Turning%20waste%20into%20fuel
%3Cp%3EAverage%20amount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20at%20DIC%20factory%20every%20month%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EApproximately%20106%2C000%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAmount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20from%201%20litre%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%20%3Cstrong%3E920ml%20(92%25)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETime%20required%20for%20one%20full%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%20used%20cooking%20oil%20to%20biofuel%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EOne%20day%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EEnergy%20requirements%20for%20one%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%201%2C000%20litres%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%96%AA%20Electricity%20-%201.1904%20units%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Water-%2031%20litres%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Diesel%20%E2%80%93%2026.275%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The Bio
Favourite holiday destination: Either Kazakhstan or Montenegro. I’ve been involved in events in both countries and they are just stunning.
Favourite book: I am a huge of Robin Cook’s medical thrillers, which I suppose is quite apt right now. My mother introduced me to them back home in New Zealand.
Favourite film or television programme: Forrest Gump is my favourite film, that’s never been up for debate. I love watching repeats of Mash as well.
Inspiration: My late father moulded me into the man I am today. I would also say disappointment and sadness are great motivators. There are times when events have brought me to my knees but it has also made me determined not to let them get the better of me.
