Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate
Rif mountains, cannabis cultivation, weak state control. Rugged terrain enabled informal economy. 2015 split recognized incompatible zones. Cultural autonomy persists despite administrative integration.
The Rif mountains create their own rules. Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate stretched across the eastern Rif, where steep valleys, poor roads, and limited government presence historically enabled economic activities operating outside state control. Cannabis cultivation in the Rif, particularly around Ketama, supplied European hash markets for decades despite official prohibition. The mountainous terrain that isolated communities from central authority also provided cover for informal economies.
The region's official economy—olives, figs, small-scale fishing at Al Hoceima port—generated modest income. The unofficial economy—cannabis cultivation, smuggling routes through Nador and Al Hoceima—provided much more. Moroccan authorities periodically cracked down, but enforcement proved difficult in rugged terrain where local populations viewed cannabis as traditional livelihood, not criminal activity. The Rif had long maintained distance from Rabat: it supported Abd el-Krim's rebellion against Spanish and French colonizers (1921-1926), and Riffian culture emphasized autonomy over state integration.
The 2015 regionalization split Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate, with Taza joining Fès-Meknès and coastal provinces forming separate regions. The division recognized that lumping Rif mountains with lowland cities created administrative units without functional coherence. But splitting the region administratively didn't resolve the underlying tension: Riffian communities continued cannabis cultivation (though Morocco gradually legalized medical/industrial uses after 2021), maintained cultural distinctiveness, and resisted full integration into Moroccan state structures.
Through 2026, the eastern Rif remains semi-autonomous in practice. Legal cannabis production grows, but illegal cultivation persists. Youth unemployment drives migration to Europe. The central government invests in roads and schools, trying to extend influence. The Rif absorbs these investments while maintaining its identity as margin rather than center—incorporated into Morocco administratively, but operating by its own economic and cultural logic.