RABAT: Morocco's GenZ 212 youth collective said Saturday it was temporarily suspending protests after two weeks of demonstrations calling for reforms in health and education.

The weekend pause was "a strategic step to strengthen organisation and coordination, so the next phase of the movement is more effective and influential", the group said in a statement.

GenZ 212 said its demands were unchanged, citing "accountability for the corrupt" and government responsibility for worsening social and economic conditions.

A new call for mobilisation would be announced later Saturday, it said, adding the next protest would "target the government and all those blocking the aspirations of the Moroccan people".

Formed in late September, GenZ 212 has built a large online following, with more than 200,000 members on the Discord platform.

Its rallies, held almost nightly across the North African country, have attracted crowds ranging from dozens to several hundred people.

The protests erupted after the deaths of eight pregnant women during Caesarean sections at a public hospital in Agadir, in southern Morocco, sparked anger over conditions in the health sector.

GenZ 212 has appealed directly to King Mohammed VI to deliver reforms. In a speech on Friday, the monarch urged the government to accelerate development in education and health, without directly referring to the protests.

He said Morocco was "paving a steady path toward greater social and territorial justice", and called for special attention to the country's poorest regions.

- AFP