On September 8, 2023, a devastating earthquake of magnitude 6.8 struck the Moroccan Atlas Mountains. The earthquake killed 2,900 people and injured about 5,500 others. Houses and villages were completely destroyed, crumbled and flattened to the ground. One person said that it only took 10 seconds for their entire village to disappear.
Many European countries are frustrated that Morocco is only accepting limited assistance from foreign countries. It is commonly being compared to Turkey, which suffered earthquakes in February. Turkey immediately appealed for international help following their earthquake, and recieved aid from 90 countries. As a result, rescue teams from all over were able to save hundreds of people. In contrast, Morocco seems to be taking a much more closed off approach to disaster relief.
About 60 countries including the US, France, Germany, and Italy have voiced their willingness to aid Morocco. US Secretary of State says the US "reached out immediately to the Moroccan government to offer any assistance that we can provide," yet the US is still waiting for Morocco to accept aid. It seems as if France is in a similar situation, since Morocco has not accepted their offer for aid. While Morocco hasn't formally declined aid from these countries, it has accepted aid from Britain, Qatar, Spain and the United Arab Emirates, calling those countries "friendly countries."
The reasons behind Morocco not accepting aid are still unknown. Many speculate that Morocco refuses to receive aid from France because of current tensions between the countries. It seems there is a political rift between Morocco and France, but also possibly a personal one between their leaders. Yet, French foreign minister Catherine Colonna claims that "We are ready to help Morocco. It's a sovereign Moroccan decision and it's up to them to decide," showing no signs of aversion. Others believe that Morocco refuses to accept aid for merely logistical reasons, stating that having people rush in from unknown places could be confusing and could potentially slow down the process of providing relief.
However, the underlying politics of the situation are pretty apparent. From 1912-1956, France had control over Morocco by imposing a protectorate. Morocco then became independent in 1956 and established a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, meaning the monarch serves mostly as a symbolic head of state. Present King Mohammed VI then announced changes making Morocco a constitutional monarchy. This means that the monarch has some political powers. Some people believe that Morocco's government is too centralized, claiming it seems authoritarian. However it still appears that Morocco has a federalist government, which as we learned means 2 or more levels of government have formal authority over the same area and people. Morocco has both a monarch and a parliament ruling over the nation.
Yet, taking all of this into account I believe that the decision to not accept aid was out of pride rather than necessity. Instead of worrying about national pride and appearances, I think the Moroccan government should be rushing in as much aid as possible to hopefully save those affected by the earthquake. The lives of the people should be of the utmost importance.
Websites used:
https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/12/africa/morocco-earthquake-village-atlas-mountains/index.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/09/11/morocco-earthquake-foreign-aid/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/13/morocco-earthquake-macron-tries-to-soothe-tensions-after-frosty-response-to-offer-of-aid
https://apnews.com/article/morocco-earthquake-aid-france-a2d73090f60978aad7725fe03d29f98b
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/12/is-morocco-accepting-aid-certain-countries-political-reasons#:~:text=Only%20search%2Dand%2Drescue%20teams,numerous%20offers%20from%20governments%20worldwide.
https://www.passblue.com/2023/09/14/the-un-is-still-waiting-to-be-invited-by-morocco-to-help-with-its-post-quake-disaster/#:~:text=Fouad%20Abdelmoumni%2C%20a%20Moroccan%20human,not%20need%20aid%20from%20outsiders.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-66773427
5 comments:
I definitely agree that the reaction by the government is inadequate - the first three days after an earthquake has been called the "golden window" for saving people who were trapped in collapsed buildings, and that has passed already. Yet, so many villages haven't received aid yet, and so many people have been left without their houses - there are many stories of villagers having to dig through rubble with their hands while waiting for relief to arrive. In situations like this, human lives should always be the most important.
Furthermore, Morocco's king, King Mohammed VI, has also responded very slowly, which could be a reason for the government officials' slow responses, as they need authorization from him to act. However, he was in Paris during the earthquake, and has only made one short public statement so far. Overall, I agree that the aid response has not been enough, especially for the thousands of lives lost and everyone who has been left without shelter, and that hopefully, the Moroccan government will begin to accept more aid necessary for rescue and rebuilding efforts.
This was very interesting to read as it provides multiple different perspectives and ideas on why Morocco is not accepting to offers of aid. It's very odd that they have accepted it from some places, and not others, but I definitely agree that the main priority should be saving lives. Despite past tensions or any reasons that may be true, there are still people affected by this earthquake, both physically as well as the fact they may have to start their lives over again. I agree with what you said about necessity over pride, and how there should be a priority to get everyone back on their feet again. Especially with the US just waiting for a response seems odd, as you would think Morocco would want a rapid pace to recover what so quickly was destroyed. Overall, although we don't have definite answers now, I just hope that they get all the aid necessary and they are able to start recovering and rebuilding the soonest possible.
This connects back to the role of the government. The government is meant to take care of it's people not it's pride. When human lives are at stake, the government's pride should be swallowed as they prioritize taking care of their people. When comparing this earthquake to the one in Turkey, the amount of possible help that Morocco could have received would have saved a significant number of lives and protected a large sum too. When it is coming down to national emergencies, the safety of the citizens should always be prioritized. In result, this can also lead to better civilian views of the government and stronger connection between the government and the people. It can help alleviate the government alienation from the citizens. In the end, Morocco could have handled the situation better if they were to just ask for help rather than reject aid from a large number of countries.
The government in Morocco has clearly been lacking in its response to the earthquake. Although it seems that many of the failures to accept aid are due to pride, I agree with the APnews article you cited, as "the reasons appear partly logistical. Aid experts said rescue teams can be more of a hindrance than a help if they all rush in uninvited and without coordination." Aid can be extremely chaotic, especially when entering a difficult area such as the Atlas mountains. I agree with the comments stating that it is unethical for the government to act out of pride instead of for its people, but it is also true that pride and national recovery go hand in hand. While it is essential to get aid, if it becomes too logistically difficult, it may be better optically to rebuild internally, without the interference of other countries. When balanced with substantial aid, maintaining national pride is a huge step in regaining economic strength. When more people have faith in the government and each other, there is more purchasing and investment into the economy. The situation is extremely saddening, and I hope that the people in Morocco find shelter and safe healing.
The effects of colonialism and Morocco's transition to a constitutional monarchy are apparent through this tragic incident. The health of those who were impacted by the earthquake should, as the author notes, take precedence.
While this may be true, I also see the other side to Morroco's decision to limit aid from foreign countries. The concept of debt and owing a country a favor could present a problem for Morroco's political presence in the future. While I am not sure if these would be valid ideas that Morrocan Officials consider, I theorize this could possibly be a reason.
In my opinion, nations should put the welfare of their people ahead of political considerations or worries. People are dying and suffering. To provide a more effective and considerate response to this humanitarian disaster, I hope that the Moroccan government will reevaluate its strategy and welcome assistance from a wider spectrum of nations. Teamwork will always trump individual efforts.
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