Moroccan earthquake victims protest aid delays and conditions
Survivors of the 2023 Atlas earthquake went to the Moroccan parliament on February 17th, calling for action after over a year of aid delays. These delays were blamed by Moroccan officials on fraud and scammers.
According to The New Arab, activists protested against “neglect, injustice and corruption,” whilst brandishing Moroccan and Amazigh flags, together with portraits of Moroccan King Mohammed VI. The protests came just a month after the Moroccan government first officially recognised Amazigh new year on January 14th.
Ahmed Ibourk, protestor and father of three from a village in the Atlas Mountains said: “People are getting sicker every day. We don’t even have the means to get medical care”, he said to The New Arab. “We’re freezing this winter under the tents. We’re slowly dying, and no one is listening to us.”
Over a year after the earthquake displaced around 500,000 people, many families are still forced to live in makeshift tents, waiting for aid that was promised by the Moroccan government that has not yet been given.
During January, Morocco experienced snowfall that covered the camps, causing children to endure extreme cold.
In the days after the 6.8 magnitude earthquake, Morocco’s royal palace pledged a $12 billion reconstruction plan that would rehouse survivors whose homes were destroyed.
Officials also committed to supplying direct financial aid, with an initial payment of 20,000 dirhams (about $2,000) per family, followed by four additional instalments over five years.
Despite these promises, the Al Haouz Earthquake Victims’ Group say most families, regardless of the extent of their losses have only been given the minimum amount. Many have not even received this due to bureaucratic obstacles and problems in the listing of approved recipients.
Moroccan authorities have acknowledged some cases of fraud in the distribution of aid.
In December 2024 , Morocco’s Interior Minister announced there would be an official investigation into corruption, after it was revealed that one official solicited bribes to speed up fund disbursement, and three entrepreneurs scammed several families.
Local activists who are critical of the slow process have come under legal pressure.
In January, activist Said Ait Mahdi was sentenced to three months in prison and ordered to pay $1000 for speaking out against the delays and for accusing the authorities of corruption. Ait Mahdi was charged with assault, defamation, and spreading false allegations.
Many protesters held up pictures of Ait Mahdi , shouting their dissent at the door of Moroccan parliament.
The earthquake killed around 3,000 people living in the Atlas mountains.
The New Arab, Maghrebi, BBC News
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