Referendums by country (a quarter of the population), cast ballots to become "sovereign and independent" of Ethiopia. This vote was the result of thirty years of war by Eritreans during their War of Independence. The result was a vote for independence by 99.8% of the voters. There have been several referendums in Morocco, most of which were related to the Moroccan constitution. Since becoming King, Mohammed VI has led many reforms that made Morocco an exception from all the other Arab countries. On February 20, 2011, thousands took to the streets of Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier and Marrakesh in peaceful protests demanding a new
Casablanca–Tangier high-speed rail line train that operated to Rabat, with revenue service planned to begin by the end of the year.<ref name="rg 11/18"></ref> King Mohammed VI named the high-speed service Al Boraq, in reference to the mythical creature that transported the Islamic prophets. The line is constructed in two sections—a new route from Tangier to Kenitra and an upgrade of the existing route from Kenitra to Casablanca. The Tangier–Kenitra line has a top speed of , while the Kenitra–Casablanca line was rated for when service began, with a planned upgrade to . The trackage from Kenitra to Casablanca is planned to be eventually replaced