The European Commission has announced that the EU is giving an initial amount of €1 million to Morocco to support relief efforts in areas affected by the recent earthquake.
This funding aims to support the relief efforts carried out by humanitarian partners in the country.
This came as rescue teams toiled to find survivors in the rubble on Monday, September 11, 2023, three days after the magnitude 6.8 earthquake.
According to Morocco’s state news agency, the death toll from Friday’s earthquake has risen to 2,497, with 2,476 people injured.
The European Commission disclosed that since the onset of the earthquake, the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre has been following the situation closely and has been in contact with the Moroccan authorities offering the EU’s full civil protection assistance.
“In this regard, the Commission has been in contact with EU Member States on a possible mobilisation of response teams, should Morocco deem them necessary,” it added.
EU Crisis Commissioner, Janez Lenarcic noted in a statement, “The tragic earthquake in Morocco has caused terrible suffering and loss of lives.
“As the EU stands in solidarity with the Moroccan people, we are releasing funding of €1 million to help meet the most urgent needs of the population most affected.
“The EU remains ready to assist Morocco in any way necessary during this difficult period.”
Janez Lenarcic
Meanwhile, Morocco has been slow to respond to other aid offers.
In a statement on Sunday, September 10, 2023, Moroccan authorities disclosed that they had “responded favourably” to offers of help from visiting search and rescue teams from Spain, Qatar, Britain and the United Arab Emirates.
However, they were yet to accept further offers of aid from other countries such as France despite the urgent nature of the disaster.
Moroccan state’s news agency also stated that “the Moroccan authorities have carried out a precise assessment of needs on the ground, given the fact that non-coordination in such situations could be counterproductive.”
Commenting on why Morocco had not made an official request to Paris for assistance despite accepting help from others, France’s Foreign Minister, Catherine Colonna remarked, “We are ready to help Morocco. It’s a sovereign Moroccan decision, and it’s up to them to decide.”
Germany is among several countries, notably France, that have said they stand ready to help if asked.
Germany Claims Morocco Made Thoughtful Decision On Aid To Accept
Also on Monday, a German Federal Foreign Office Spokesperson, claimed that Morocco made a careful decision on which aid to accept and which to forgo.
As Germany learned from deadly flooding in 2021 in the Ahr Valley, aid coordination is important during major disasters to ensure rescue workers do not impede each other, the spokesperson disclosed.
The Spokesperson said, “I’m sure that they (Morocco) have thought very carefully about which forces can be deployed where and how they can get there, what transport capacities are available, for example.”
The Spokesperson also noted that Germany does not see any indications that Morocco’s decision to forgo Berlin’s earthquake aid offer is political.
“Diplomatic relations between Germany and Morocco are good,” the Spokesperson asserted, adding that the Moroccan side had thanked Germany for its offer of help.
However, government critic and activist, Maati Mounjib voiced his displeasure about Morocco not accepting other offers.
Mounjib emphasized that it is the wrong response when help is desperately needed, especially in more remote areas.
“I think it is really an error [to insist on] sovereignty and national pride. This is not the moment to refuse because the aid is essential, even developed countries accept outside help [in disasters],” he disclosed.
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