Bulldozers began demolishing Douar Abdellah Belhaj in Casablanca’s Aïn Sebaâ district earlier this week, clearing one of the city’s oldest informal settlements as authorities accelerate a rehousing drive ahead of the 2030 World Cup.
The demolition is the latest move in “Villes sans bidonvilles,” a royal program launched in 2004 to clear Morocco’s slums. Two decades on, the numbers show both progress and how much remains unfinished.
By the end of 2025, 382,176 families had benefited from the program nationwide. 62 cities and urban centers have been officially declared slum-free.
The pace has shifted as between 2021 and 2025, more than 69,300 households were rehoused, against an annual average of just 6,200 between 2018 and 2021, nearly tripling the yearly rate to about 17,330 households.
The total program cost stands at MAD 63.72 billion, with 14.65 billion covered directly by the housing ministry.
Casablanca remains the biggest challenge in Morocco’s slum eradication drive. The city alone has around 63,000 informal housing units, nearly half of all bidonvilles covered by the program, and progress has been slower than in other regions.
Authorities are now racing against the clock ahead of the 2030 World Cup. They have earmarked MAD 18.6 billion to build 62,000 housing units in Casablanca, Nouaceur, Médiouna and Mohammedia, with the goal of eliminating the city’s slums before the tournament begins.
Aïn Sebaâ-Hay Mohammadi, the district where Belhaj sits, has long been ground zero. It once held the bulk of Casablanca’s counted bidonvilles, including longtime flashpoints like Sidi Moumen, Lahraouyine and Bernoussi.
Previous clearance operations followed the same pattern. Families could either buy a subsidized apartment for around MAD 100,000 or receive a serviced plot to build their own home. Most relocation sites were developed on the outskirts of Casablanca, including areas such as Sidi Hajjaj and Chellalate near Mohammedia.
This pattern has been the source of recurring issues. During earlier clearance operations in the district, residents clashed with police over short eviction notices and the lack of basic services at relocation sites.
Authorities have also reported cases of fraud. Some beneficiaries sold homes they received through earlier relocation programs and later moved into new bidonvilles to qualify for another housing allocation.
Nationally, roughly 150,000 families were still living in slums as of last year, even after some 300,000 had already been rehoused. A five-year plan running through 2027 or early 2028 is meant to close that gap.
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