Kamal El Alami, Deputy General Manager of the Le Matin Group
On Friday, September 8, 2023, a violent earthquake with a magnitude of 7 on the Richter scale struck the rocky mountain range of the Atlas, in the commune of Ighil in the province of Al Haouz. This earthquake was felt practically throughout the national territory and created a feeling of fear, even in distant large cities. Within a radius of 100 km around the epicentre, the earthquake devastated a large rural area that includes more than 2,000 villages isolated in the mountains and whose construction techniques are ancestral, based on local materials and without anti-seismic measures. This secular architecture merges with a nature preserved in an ecosystem rare nowadays that gives a fascinating character to the Morocco of the High Atlas.
The charm of these beautiful villages on the mountain peaks is enhanced by the simplicity, kindness, and piety of the noble inhabitants who occupy them. A population with unwavering faith that knew how to remain dignified in the adversity of the earthquake and in the face of the misfortunes of human and material losses that saddened the hearts of an entire compassionate and solidary planet.
Like a single body, Morocco mobilised, all components combined, in an immediate, spontaneous, and harmonious manner in order to come to the aid of fellow citizens in the affected areas. Diligently, His Majesty the King held a working session on September 9 comparable to a war council that involves all the bodies and authorities concerned in order to inquire about the progress of the multiple actions already deployed, strengthen the mobilised resources, and decide on the coordination and support measures necessary for this first phase.
Moroccan citizens proved once again their patriotism through an incredible surge of solidarity that amazed the world and set an example to follow. Patriots clogged blood donation centres, emptied supermarket shelves, and travelled the roads that lead to the affected areas. Popular engagement was omnipresent from Tangier to Lagouira.
Similarly, given the scale of the damage, cash donations abounded towards the bank account number of the Special Fund set up for the management of the effects of the earthquake. Associations and foundations were able to channel popular aid in coordination with the military forces and the authorities engaged on the ground without interruption throughout the critical period. These structures remain mobilised during the transition period towards the resumption of a normal life.
Under the leadership of its Sovereign, Morocco moved heaven and earth by mobilising its various armed forces, law enforcement, Civil Protection, volunteer rescuers, citizens, and teams from friendly countries in order to rescue people trapped in the mountains. The Kingdom's expertise through its deployments in isolated or disaster-stricken areas in Morocco and abroad largely contributed to the agility and effectiveness of its responsiveness to the disaster suffered. Similarly, the state-of-the-art equipment it possesses made it possible to effectively grid areas inaccessible by normal means. Thus, the field hospitals deployed allowed for rapid care of the wounded and traumatised, coordination centres ensured good coverage of the needs of all impacted villages, helicopters and drones gridded the area providing assessments, aid, and relief, and earthmoving machinery opened blocked paths.
In addition, the authorisation of free movement in the affected areas encouraged volunteer citizens to flock to the affected villages by bringing aid and moral and physical support from the first hours of the tragedy. Despite the risks of landslides and frequent seismic aftershocks, Moroccan patriots of all status, faith, and origin responded to the call of the heart and fraternity in order to support and comfort the affected populations. In record time, all emergencies were taken care of, including temporary accommodation in tents and the resumption of teaching classes.
His Majesty the King even granted the status of ward of the nation to the orphans of this natural disaster and committed public authorities to honourable compensation and responsible reconstruction faithful to the spirit and culture of the region for an envelope estimated at 8 billion dirhams. In addition, a titanic budget of 120 billion dirhams will be mobilised over five years in order to reshape the regions concerned in a sustainable and revolutionary manner, worthy of the reputation of current Morocco.
The exemplary governance of this crisis bears a Royal seal and reveals a Morocco sovereign in its decisions, strategic in its actions, well-equipped and organised in its mobilisation, and above all strong in its visionary King and its patriotic people. This alignment of the stars is not the result of chance, but finds all its source in the synergy between a clear vision and hard, methodical work in various fields, thus nourishing the locomotive of co-development.
