Moroccan authorities closed 2 000 “abandoned and illicitly exploited shafts” last year, the AFP reported last week, following an announcement by the Moroccan Energy and Mines Ministry.

The Ministry reportedly promised to shut an additional 1 500 remaining shafts by the end of 2019.

Jerada is an impoverished former coal town that has suffered a string of fatal mining accidents. Its mines were declared uneconomical at the end of the 1990s at the cost of about 9 000 jobs.

The death of two illegal miners in late 2017 in an abandoned shaft sparked major protests that lasted until March 2018, as town residents demanded investment and jobs.

In response, in April 2018, the authorities promised to seal abandoned shafts and presented an economic revitalisation programme, with the Ministry awarding 26 mining permits to young people in the region in June.

The Ministry also announced that $95-million would be invested into industry and agricultural projects by 2020.

The plan helped calm the last round of protests, which saw about 100 people arrested and 44 sentenced to prison terms.

However, the illicit mining activity continued and there were at least nine more deaths in 2018, including five in November, the last of which was a teenage activist, according to an AFP report.

Last month, the World Bank, in response to the protests caused by mine closures around the world, released a report titled ‘Managing Coal Mine Closure: Achieving a Just Transition for All’, aimed at helping governments prepare for and manage coal mine closures and the associated impacts on communities and people’s livelihoods.

The report describes steps governments can take to minimise social conflict and economic distress. The organisations believe that, although the socioeconomic impacts of coal mine closures are significant, countries can work towards a just transition with advance planning, preparedness, early engagement with stakeholders and strong social assistance programmes.

The data is based on mine closures across the world and draws on experiences from 11 World Bank-financed projects and other global experiences.

“Our focus is on the human dimension and helping countries accelerate the energy transition. A ‘just transition for all’ means people’s livelihoods and communities need to be protected, which requires a carefully managed, sustained, long-term approach. Governments must prepare well in advance of any coal mine closures, implementing strong safety nets for workers ahead of job losses,” World Bank Energy and Extractives senior director Riccardo Puliti said at the time.