A 26-year-old man died in central Morocco after setting himself on fire in despair at his situation since being dismissed from the army, a local rights official said Saturday. "He poured five litres of petrol over himself and set himself alight in the weekly market at Benguerir" on Thursday, Mohammed Hanofi of the Moroccan Human Rights Association told AFP. "He died in hospital."
It was the first reported death in the country from self-immolation, which has also occurred in neighbouring Algeria and triggered the revolution in Tunisia that overthrow the government of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. The daily Akhbar al-Yaoum named the man as Mourad Raho, 26, while a local website, Rhamna.org, said he was depressed because he had little income since being sacked from the army in July 2010.
There was no official information from the authorities on the incident, the fifth in Morocco in a month, albeit the first fatality. According to the authorities, one victim had psychological problems while another was in a dispute over a legacy.