In the forests of the Middle Atlas, particularly in the province of Ifrane, the fight against illegal logging appears to face deeper resistance than just clandestine saws. The latest example: two forest agents sanctioned after attempting to intercept a truck transporting stolen wood.
A sanction in the wrong direction
According to the daily newspaper Al Akhbar, the two agents, part of the National Agency for Water and Forests, were transferred to other provinces just a few days after conducting a field operation that revealed the extent of cedar wood trafficking in the region. One was assigned to Bouarfa, the other to Taounate. These decisions were made without prior investigation or a hearing before a disciplinary committee, sparking outrage among several observers.
A revealing operation of a structured trafficking
The events date back to an alert received by one of the agents, reporting the illegal loading of wood in a municipality of Ifrane. After unsuccessfully trying to contact their superior, the two officials turned to the provincial director of the Agency, who directed them to the prosecutor’s office. The latter ordered the intervention of the Royal Gendarmerie.
A chase ensued, interrupted by the intervention of an individual who blocked the forest agents, threatening them and claiming to be protected by influential networks. The truck was nonetheless seized but was later returned to its owner based on questionable information. The next day, an area near the scene showed signs of massive logging.
Climate of distrust within the ranks
This case raises several questions: how can it be explained that agents are sanctioned for doing their job? Why do such operations end up being suppressed? And above all, who protects the networks of illegal logging?
In a context of climate change and increasing pressures on natural resources, the protection of the Moroccan cedar forest – one of the most important in the Mediterranean – becomes a major issue. But it is essential that those responsible for it are genuinely supported in their mission.
The intervention of the Ministry of Agriculture has been requested by the two agents to end their detachment from the Agency. A way for them to denounce a system where impunity seems sometimes better protected than the forest itself.