Moroccan ambassador in Lisbon predicts that the aid provided by Portugal and other ‘friendly’ countries after last week’s earthquake will be necessary in the medium term and will not be accepted immediately to avoid lack of coordination, and rejects delays in rescue operations .
“Hours after the event (on September 8), Morocco preferred to intervene quickly with its armed forces, with its personal resources, but also to make an exact assessment of what we wanted and the kind of assistance we needed,” said Othmane Bahnini. an interview with the Lusa agency.
For the Moroccan diplomat, who stressed that no country is prepared to immediately face an earthquake of the magnitude of the one that struck Morocco (between 6.8 and 7 on the Richter scale), the “refusal” of the aid made available by many countries – – Rabat initially only accepted support from Spain, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar – this was due to the need to know the priorities and avoid a lack of coordination.
“This does not mean that we are selective, but it is also intended to avoid some kind of logistical problem at the country level and sometimes we cannot open the borders and have a large crowd of people in the country and end up in situations that need to be logistically managed, from the point of view of management and international intervention,” explained Bahnini, who was accompanied by his wife in Marrakech on the day of the earthquake.
“The most important thing is to save lives and intervene quickly on the spot. That is why we had to tackle the situation gradually with the needs of the catastrophe, which is great,” added the Moroccan diplomat, who thanked the Portuguese government for its availability. , whose help will be needed in the medium/long term, as will that of other “friendly” countries.
According to Bahnini, the reconstruction period will allow all “friends and brotherly countries” to provide support, because it will be given in the long term, and not in the short term, “and that is where true friendly relations are expressed.”
“I think there is a place for everyone who has expressed their goodwill. Morocco has not closed its doors to any country. “First and foremost, I wanted to try to respond thoughtfully and clearly,” he explained.
The earthquake, which struck on the night of September 8-9 in Al-Haouz province, south of Marrakesh, left 2,946 dead and 5,674 injured, according to the most recently published official figures.
The priority, Bahnini stressed, is the treatment of the injured and the reconstruction of houses, as defined in the various meetings between King Mohamed VI and the government and entities dealing with the issue, especially with support for the most affected population, the one left without a home.
“The area reconstruction project has very clear objectives. We are talking about more than 50,000 houses, we are talking about financial help for people who have lost everything. We have focused the first week on saving lives, on trying to provide some relief to those who are still alive are trying to mobilize forces at hospital level, etc., to respond to the first needs,” Bahnini said.
The plan drawn up with the help of Mohamed VI, he continued, must also take into account “local specificities”, “cultural customs” and, above all, the many orphans left behind by the catastrophe.
“There is also the impulse of solidarity, which will continue, because there is a feeling that is precisely meant to serve everyone and care for orphans. His Majesty (Mohamed VI) pays attention to these orphans and this is a very strong symbolic gesture.” , he added.
The earthquake, whose epicenter was recorded in the town of Ighil, 63 kilometers southwest of the city of Marrakesh, was felt in Portugal and Spain.
This earthquake is the deadliest in Morocco since the earthquake that devastated Agadir, on the country’s west coast, on February 29, 1960, killing between 12,000 and 15,000, a third of the city’s population.
Source: DN
