The delayed reaction of the King of Morocco, Mohamed VI, after the devastating earthquake in the country that has already left more than 2,000 dead has generated unrest, as many wonder where he was when the earthquake occurred. The monarch, who spends long periods in France, did not react to the catastrophe until Saturday afternoon, when a large part of the international community had already expressed their messages of condolence and support. At the moment, Rabat has not officially accepted aid from Paris, despite the link between both countries and the fact that the president, Emmanuel Macron, has extended his hand. Yes, that of Spain – which has already sent teams to the area – as well as that of the United Kingdom, the Emirates and Qatar.
The monarch was missing the first hours after the drama. Several media outlets say that the king was in France, where he spends long periods of time. According to the newspaper Parisien-Aujourd’hui, Mohammed VI was in Paris, where he arrived on September 1 for medical reasons. He had already undergone operations in the French capital on other occasions.
Neither the French nor the Moroccan authorities have confirmed this information. The monarch spends almost more time outside Morocco (in France or Gabon) than inside it, and his trips are always surrounded by a lot of secrecy, but his silence on Saturday morning in such dramatic circumstances has caused special controversy. It was not until the afternoon when he appeared in a photo on social media in which he was seen chairing a meeting.
“The King of Morocco was conspicuous by his absence in the first hours following the earthquake” that shook the country, criticizes the newspaper Ouest France.
Mohamed VI travels quite frequently to France, where he spends long periods of time. He has a vacation mansion and in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, he bought a 1,600-square-meter mansion at the foot of the Eiffel Tower for about 80 million euros, according to the French press.
“While the heads of state of France, the United States or Spain conveyed their emotion, there was no reaction from the sovereign,” denounces the aforementioned media, which recalls that the announcement of the three days of mourning “was decreed by his cabinet.”
The Moroccan diaspora is the second most present in France (after the Algerian one), with more than 1.7 million citizens born in French territory, but whose parents or grandparents emigrated from Morocco. Despite the link between both countries, Paris has not yet received an official request for help from Rabat. “France is ready to intervene as soon as the Moroccan authorities deem it useful,” said the president, Emmanuel Macron, from India, where he is participating in the G20 meeting. “The Moroccan authorities know exactly what we can deliver to them and when,” he insisted.
The French ambassador in the country, Christophe Lecourtier, has tried to justify the reasons for this delay on the RTL channel: “The Moroccan authorities are carrying out an evaluation of the situation, since the southern regions are very isolated and far from the centers urban”.
Humanitarian planes need authorization from the Moroccan Government to be able to land and in these areas it would be more complicated. According to the president of the International Emergency Fire Service, Philippe Besson, “much of the access is impossible because these areas are inaccessible and bridges must be established to access. The global vision is not clear,” he told Le Monde.
Anne Claire Legendre, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, assured the BFM channel that “there is a prior evaluation work to be able to make a request for help. The needs must be established. This requires an enormous coordination effort, it is a type of operation very complex and rigorous.”
France is mobilized and many humanitarian organizations have offered help. The country currently has four nationals killed in the earthquake. The French ambassador in Rabat has said that a crisis cell was activated on Friday and they have received more than 4,000 calls. Mohamed Chaouih, president of the Association of Moroccans in France, explained the feeling of the Moroccan community to the newspaper Libération: “It is terrible, we are very worried, the Franco-Moroccans and the French of Moroccan origin have not been able to sleep for the entire night. This earthquake shakes everyone. We are receiving many calls, especially from people who have not heard from their loved ones.”
