Residents of Tlemi, a mountain hamlet near Imilchil in Morocco’s Midelt province, rode donkeys and mules through High Atlas tracks on Friday to protest what they said was the continued lack of paved road access, mobile phone coverage and internet service.
Dozens of residents took part in the demonstration, according to participants, travelling along rocky tracks that serve as the community’s main connection to Imilchil. Tlemi is one of several isolated settlements in the High Atlas where residents say difficult terrain and limited infrastructure continue to restrict access to healthcare, education and administrative services.
“We came out with donkeys because they are our only means of transport,” one protester said while riding a mule. “The road is cut off, winter traps us, and summer suffocates us. We want to live like other Moroccans.”
Residents said the road linking Tlemi to Imilchil becomes difficult to use during winter snow and mud, while rocky conditions and dust complicate travel during warmer months. Several protesters said ambulances struggle to reach the area during medical emergencies.
“When a child gets sick, we do not sleep,” resident Mouha Nait Ali said. “There is no road to save him and no phone signal to call for help.”
Alongside road access, residents said weak mobile and internet coverage remains one of the area’s main grievances. Abdelsamad, a university student who asked to be identified only by his first name, said residents sometimes walk long distances in search of a usable signal.
“We are in 2026 and still looking for network coverage as if it were treasure,” he said.
Several demonstrators called for renewed royal attention to the region, saying previous royal initiatives helped accelerate development projects in Imilchil and surrounding mountain areas.
In December 2009, King Mohammed VI visited the rural commune of Imilchil to review a 2009 to 2011 development programme worth more than 105 million dirhams for Imilchil and nearby mountain communes, covering local center upgrades, schools, health facilities, tourism structures, socio-cultural facilities, agricultural income projects and road works
Imilchil is also known for its annual engagement moussem and High Atlas cultural festival, a contrast residents invoked as they argued that a region promoted for its landscapes and traditions still lacks basic road and telecommunications access.
Protesters said their demands include paving and widening the road linking Tlemi to Imilchil, strengthening mobile and internet coverage, and creating a better-equipped rural health center.
Hespress said attempts to obtain comment from local authorities were unsuccessful after calls to the head of the Imilchil commune, a Midelt provincial council official, and a provincial authority official could not be completed because their phones were outside network coverage.
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