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00:00 The UN estimates that up to 300,000 people could have been directly affected by the earthquake
00:12 in Morocco.
00:13 The death toll has risen to over 2,000 as the race to find survivors continues amid
00:19 an aftershock.
00:20 We're going to bring you the very latest and talk to those directly affected by the quake.
00:27 France's President Emmanuel Macron says France is willing to provide aid to Morocco the second
00:32 it is requested.
00:33 For now, Morocco, accepting offers just from Britain, Spain, Qatar and the United Arab
00:38 Emirates, will look at the needs and discuss the difficulties.
00:43 And Moroccans across the country do their bit by queuing, often for long periods, to
00:48 give blood to help the rescue effort.
00:51 Good to have you with us.
00:54 I'm Stuart Norvell here on France 24 for this special programme dedicated for the next half
00:58 hour to the situation in Morocco.
01:01 So no food then, little or no water and desperate attempts to build shelter.
01:07 It is life for the survivors of Morocco's deadliest earthquake in more than six decades.
01:12 The death toll has risen now to over 2,000, a figure expected to rise further with the
01:17 UN estimating that up to 300,000 people could have been directly affected by the magnitude
01:23 6.8 quake.
01:25 Many people have spent their third night in the open, with relief workers still facing
01:30 huge challenges in reaching the worst affected villages in the rugged Atlas Mountains, where
01:35 many homes have fallen into dust.
01:38 France 24 has been to the town of Moulay Brahim, it's 60 kilometres from Marrakech, near to
01:44 the epicentre.
01:45 Jean-Marie Le Maire with Alison Sargent have this report.
01:52 It's still difficult to reach the small villages close to the earthquake's epicentre, though
01:57 work has begun to clear the road.
02:00 In Moulay Brahim, like many others, the toll was heavy.
02:05 Dozens of people lost their lives here and many are still missing.
02:10 Even the homes that were left standing are no longer inhabitable.
02:14 "We are living through a catastrophe.
02:18 We sleep in the cold, we wake up and our blankets are wet.
02:21 There are no tents or any other shelters.
02:24 We're afraid of more aftershocks, like the one there was just two hours ago."
02:29 "Right now the situation is very difficult and we don't have much.
02:33 What we urgently need is medicine.
02:36 There are people who are diabetic and others who have high blood pressure or heart disease."
02:43 A desperate community that's now living day to day, waiting for aid that's slow to arrive.
02:49 Claude and his wife drove some 430km from Kenitra to bring supplies.
02:55 "It's hard to supply these areas, you know, the entire road is just covered in rocks.
03:02 So we really had a hard time getting here.
03:04 But it's very important that we came."
03:08 Local groups and authorities are also distributing food.
03:12 But the long-term survival of this small village is now uncertain.
03:17 The 17th century mausoleum can no longer welcome visitors.
03:21 "All of the residents of Moula Ibrahim lived here thanks to this zawiya and this mausoleum.
03:28 The hotels, the shops and the cafes.
03:30 The only economic activity here came from the zawiya and the mausoleum.
03:33 Now they've both collapsed.
03:34 There's nothing left.
03:35 All access is closed off.
03:37 People won't be able to provide for themselves."
03:42 Today the fate of Moula Ibrahim depends entirely on national and international solidarity,
03:48 including foreign emergency response teams that are beginning to arrive.
03:52 Let's talk now to Ikram Cole, who's a Moroccan journalist based in Agadir, west of the Atlas
03:59 Mountains.
04:00 Thanks very much for joining us on the programme.
04:02 Where you are, Agadir, it was the city where up to 15,000 people died back in 1960.
04:08 A third of the population in a huge earthquake.
04:11 Once again, of course, the city feeling the earthquake of the last few days, relatively
04:16 nearby still.
04:17 I mean, what has that been like for people living there?
04:20 "Well, honestly, it was a moment of shock and realising the earthquake was happening
04:27 again in Agadir because of its geological position in the whole Morocco.
04:34 So the first idea that we had is that it was happening only in Agadir, not in the whole
04:39 kingdom."
04:40 What are people doing now?
04:42 I mean, are people just trying to carry on their daily lives or is the city sort of come
04:47 to a stop worried about aftershocks, for example?
04:50 "No, we are still having a moment of aftershock.
04:53 I mean, we're having a bit of trouble sleeping, but as you know, Moroccans are tough.
05:01 We have this sense of solidarity, this sense of love, of passion, of jealousy towards each
05:07 other.
05:08 And the next morning, literally, people started helping, donating blood, money, aids, buying
05:16 anything that these people in these villages need because we sort of have no idea and sort
05:25 of a map to go to reach these villages throughout different roads.
05:32 So if a road is closed, we know a short map to still get there."
05:38 Do people feel confident about staying within their homes?
05:41 I mean, presumably some buildings are maybe not as strong as others.
05:45 If you happen to live in one which perhaps isn't so solid, are people happy to stay inside?
05:52 "No, I think that the problem is only psychological.
05:59 It's going on in our minds, not actually in our houses.
06:02 The houses are fine, because it's not the centre of where the earthquake happened, so
06:08 the hit wasn't that strong to be able to actually make houses fall."
06:15 We're talking about an earthquake that happened 60 years ago, of course.
06:19 There must be some people there, many people there, who still remember exactly what it
06:24 was like.
06:25 And presumably people such as yourselves are talking to them very much about what they
06:29 remember from the time?
06:31 "Yes, we used to always talk with my family members, my grandpa, my grandmother.
06:38 We used to always ask them how was the earthquake during the '60s.
06:42 There was some info about how the earthquake, there was a little shake, but people ignored
06:51 it, but the other shake came stronger, and that was the one that caused the 1960 earthquake.
06:57 So we had these rumours going on in our heads when the earthquake happened two days ago,
07:06 so we were pretty scared of what if a second wave happens, what if it's stronger than the
07:10 other ones.
07:11 So the issue here, or the challenge, is to actually be careful and protect ourselves
07:18 from fake news, especially based on what happened.
07:23 Because it's a different city, it's built on different standards, and that's what should
07:30 make us sure that nothing bad is going to happen again."
07:33 Ikram Cole, thanks very much for joining us on the programme.
07:36 Best of luck to you and those, of course, still trying to help the rescue effort there
07:40 in Agadir, very near to the centre of that earthquake.
07:44 Now it's not, of course, just the professionals who are searching the rubble for survivors.
07:49 Many ordinary people, often friends or relatives of people missing, also trying their best.
07:53 Let's find out more in this report from Yinka Oyatadi.
07:59 Among the ruins of their village, these residents are taking it upon themselves to look for
08:03 their neighbours.
08:04 With no professional rescue teams or military personnel, they are relying on their bare
08:09 hands and this construction machine to remove the larger stones.
08:14 They proceed cautiously.
08:16 They know a family once lived here.
08:18 Their belongings buried in the rubble.
08:21 After a few minutes of searching, they spot a body.
08:27 It's a man.
08:28 Like many, he didn't survive after being trapped under the wreckage, starved of oxygen.
08:36 The town of Azmizmiz is just 20 kilometres from the epicentre of the quake.
08:42 Many buildings and people living here didn't stand a chance.
08:48 Soldiers and rescue workers are slowly reaching remote areas that have been the worst hit.
08:53 In some families, it's hard to comprehend the number of victims.
08:58 This man has lost his wife and his two-year-old son, his mother, father and sister-in-law.
09:06 There are few examples of survivors making it out alive from under the rubble.
09:11 Residents are digging graves for their loved ones and then burials take place in an almost
09:15 chain-like fashion.
09:18 Desperation can be seen everywhere.
09:21 Hospitals are overwhelmed by the number of those injured, while hungry residents scramble
09:25 for food.
09:28 Morocco now faces enormous challenges in the wake of this disaster.
09:33 France's President Emmanuel Macron has said that France is willing to provide aid to Morocco
09:38 the second it is requested.
09:40 His comments adding to offers of help from many other countries.
09:44 So far though, Morocco is saying it's just accepting offers from four countries, that's
09:48 Britain, Spain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
09:51 Let's hear then from Morocco, also from Joe Biden as well.
09:55 We have mobilised all the technical and security teams to be able to intervene when the Moroccan
10:02 authorities deem it useful.
10:06 And in any case, we are on hand.
10:08 There have been discussions at ministerial level.
10:12 And this morning, we have mobilised the World Bank, the IMF, the EU and the AU to, together
10:18 with France, show strong support for Morocco, for the Moroccan people, for construction
10:23 and financial aid in this context.
10:25 Before we begin, I want to express my sadness by the loss of life and devastation caused
10:32 by the earthquake in Morocco.
10:34 Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Morocco and my friend King Mohammed VI
10:42 and my administration, including Secretary of State Blinken, who's here with me today,
10:47 is working with Moroccan officials on long distance here.
10:51 We're working expeditiously to ensure American citizens in Morocco are safe, standing ready
10:56 to provide any necessary assistance to the Moroccan people as well.
10:59 We've made that offer.
11:01 Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron there.
11:03 Well, with me here on set now is Ketavan Ghorjasdani from our international affairs desk.
11:07 Ketavan, we're already hearing up with international search and rescue teams beginning to trickle
11:11 in to Morocco.
11:13 What more can you tell us?
11:14 Well, there are four countries so far that have received that authorization from Morocco.
11:21 That's Spain, the UK, Qatar and the UAE.
11:24 Spain, for example, has already sent 86 search and rescue officers as well as eight dogs.
11:31 Dogs of course, very important in searching for those survivors in the rubble.
11:36 The UK also sending 60 specialists as well as dogs and more aid is going to be coming
11:42 probably from these countries in the next hours, the next days.
11:46 But otherwise, you haven't seen a sort of broad acceptance from Morocco, even though
11:51 there have been dozens of countries that immediately offered their help, whether it's specialists
11:57 or humanitarian aid, financial aid, whatever they need really is what they've been offered.
12:03 But so far, they're sticking to those four countries.
12:06 Some countries have decided to start trying to work around without the acceptance directly
12:11 of the Moroccans.
12:12 The Americans, for example, sending a very small team on the ground just to assess the
12:16 situation to see what exactly is needed so that when Morocco actually accepts the help,
12:23 they can send exactly what is needed the most, where it is needed the most.
12:29 Algeria also, that has pretty tense relations with Morocco, they've decided to open their
12:34 airspace so that humanitarian aid as well as medical flights can go back and forth.
12:41 So that's how countries are trying to work around the position of the Moroccans right
12:45 now.
12:46 Bearing in mind what you just said then, Ketavan, I mean, what could the reasons be that Rabat
12:51 at this stage anyway is not accepting all the offers it can possibly get?
12:55 Well, it looks like there are three possible explanations.
12:59 The first one is really the official position of the Moroccans, the interior ministry saying
13:04 that lack of coordination could be counterproductive in these moments.
13:09 And there's partly some truth to it.
13:11 You don't want all that aid from across the globe arriving at once at the very beginning
13:16 of this disaster and not knowing exactly where to take it, how to best use it.
13:21 And so there is some truth to really looking and assessing and seeing where the aid can
13:27 go and be best used, if you will.
13:30 Then you have a sort of position from the Moroccans that can be about showing that they
13:36 are in control, that they have the strength, they have the sovereignty to take care of
13:40 their own people, the capability and the resources to deal and organize their search and rescue
13:46 operations the way they see fit and that they will help their own people.
13:51 And finally, there's also a sort of political aspect to it, not with all the countries,
13:56 but there are some countries that have some tense political relationships.
14:00 And of course, I'm thinking about the French in this case.
14:03 And there are two aspects to the relation between France and Morocco.
14:07 One is that there are very close ties between the two countries.
14:11 You've had hundreds of thousands of people here who are of Moroccan descent, Moroccan
14:15 citizens, too, as well as French citizens who live in Morocco.
14:18 So those ties are close.
14:20 But politically, it's gotten very tense over the years with several different scandals,
14:25 the Pegasus scandal.
14:26 This was a sort of spyware that was on the phones, allegedly, possibly with also President
14:32 Emmanuel Macron as a target.
14:35 There was also a sort of tension last year amid the visa restriction from France to Moroccan
14:42 citizens.
14:43 And there's also the position of France when it comes to the Western Sahara and whether
14:48 or not they recognize Morocco's sovereignty over it.
14:51 So a lot of these things have made the situation between France and Morocco tense.
14:57 President Macron, as we heard in that soundbite, immediately saying, we're standing by, we're
15:02 ready to go whenever they will tell us that we can't go.
15:05 Analyzing the situation for us, Ketavan Gordhisthani from International Affairs.
15:08 Thanks very much.
15:09 Well, let's discuss some of those ideas and theories there from Ketavan now with Abubakar
15:14 Jamai.
15:15 He's president, professor rather, of international relations at the American College of the Mediterranean
15:20 in Aix-en-Provence.
15:21 Thanks very much for joining us on the program.
15:23 I know you heard what Ketavan had to say there.
15:26 I mean, what do you think about why the Moroccan government may, at this stage anyway, only
15:31 be accepting help from four countries?
15:33 Well, among the reasons that have been put forward by your analysts, I'm not very convinced
15:41 by the first one that is advanced by the Moroccan government, which says that it's a matter
15:47 of coordination and actually of optimizing the whole rescue work.
15:52 For many reasons, one of them is simply geographical.
15:54 I don't see how Qatari aid and Emirati aid can be more efficient than French aid, which
16:00 is geographically closer than these two countries and even closer, and also closer than the
16:05 UK to Morocco.
16:07 Secondly, in terms of expertise, the French have developed expertise in these fields.
16:14 So I think, you know, it's my view that in fact it's--the third element that has been
16:21 mentioned by your analysts, by your journalists, that to me is the best explanatory factor
16:27 of the Moroccan regime's reaction, which is that there are some tense relations with France,
16:34 and probably the Moroccan regime is not willing to allow France, you know, in their mind to
16:39 cry about the fact that they helped Morocco at some times, which I find pretty problematic
16:45 and even inconscionable.
16:47 Not to say that France is blameless in what happened between France and Morocco.
16:50 I think France has a lot to account for, for what it--for some of its policies toward Morocco.
16:57 I can mention the visa issue.
16:59 I can mention also cases of, you know, economic overbearing attitude toward Morocco.
17:07 The Western Sahara issue also can be mentioned here.
17:11 But under these circumstances, where no country on earth, whatever its development, the state
17:18 of development, you know, the U.S., European countries, whenever they are hit by an act
17:23 of God of such magnitude, generally they are overwhelmed.
17:26 Yeah, sure.
17:27 I mean, surely, though, bearing in mind what you're saying there, surely, you know, with
17:31 an event of this magnitude, all that should be put aside just to get the aid as quickly
17:36 as possible to the people that really need it, whatever country it comes from.
17:40 Absolutely.
17:41 And beside, there is another problem.
17:42 There is a problem of consistency.
17:43 I mean, if we are so antagonistic to France as to refuse to get their aid, then one has
17:51 to ask himself, why is the king based--was in Paris, actually, when the earthquake happened,
17:59 because he has properties there?
18:01 The other question that we might ask ourselves, we in Morocco are very proud of our automotive
18:06 industry.
18:07 There are two specific brands that are the torchbearer of this industry.
18:11 They are Peugeot and Renault, which are France.
18:13 The king himself is in business not with the private sector in France only, but with the
18:19 French state, because he's a co-shareholder in an energy company based in Safi.
18:24 So there is an issue of consistency, too.
18:26 I mean, if we are at that level of enmity with France, we should be more consistent
18:31 in this enmity, at least.
18:33 Looking at it from the outside, I mean, we report regularly here on France 24 with difficulties
18:38 between the French government and notably Algeria and Tunisia, I'm thinking of.
18:43 Relations with Morocco haven't been that bad, have they?
18:45 I mean, do you think that this will be overturned?
18:47 And actually, as this process goes on, inevitably, it's not going to disappear within a couple
18:52 of days.
18:53 It's a weeks and months type situation that actually France will come more into this aid
19:00 provision.
19:01 Well, I do hope that that would be the case, because again, I think it's not a shame to
19:08 get the help we can get to save our co-citizens.
19:14 And besides, in terms of relationship with France, I think the history long dynamics
19:20 are here to say that we are too intertwined and we need to overcome the current situation.
19:27 Now, in terms of help with the aftermath of the earthquake, I do hope that Morocco will
19:34 use this opportunity to be more open to other countries with which it had tense relations
19:41 and to try to solve the problems that we have with these countries.
19:46 Great to talk to you on the programme.
19:47 Thanks very much for joining us.
19:48 Aboubakar Jamia is Professor of International Relations at the American College of the Mediterranean
19:53 in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France.
19:56 Thanks.
19:57 Now, people across Morocco have been doing their bit by giving blood in the hope of helping
20:01 their fellow citizens, that not least in Marrakech itself as well.
20:06 Oliver Fary has this report.
20:10 In Marrakech, residents line up to offer help.
20:14 There were long queues outside blood transfusion centres to give blood badly needed by victims
20:19 of Friday's earthquake.
20:21 For those who came along, there was no hesitation.
20:26 My father suggested I come and donate blood as there is a big need of it in the centres.
20:33 As you can see, there is a massive display of solidarity by Moroccans, with many people
20:39 queuing outside in the sun.
20:41 It is heartwarming to see the commitment of our citizens.
20:45 And even foreigners who have no direct connection to the disaster have joined us.
20:49 It is a beautiful thing.
20:51 Among the foreigners were two visiting Scottish tourists who felt they had to help.
20:57 My daughter and I are here for a few days holiday.
21:01 We love Marrakech.
21:02 And we saw there was an appeal for blood.
21:07 We both give blood in our home places and so we are here to give blood.
21:14 Moroccan police also joined in, forming long lines in the country's biggest city, Casablanca.
21:19 And the stars of the national football team, who reached the semi-final of last year's
21:24 World Cup, also gave blood.
21:27 The response allayed the initial fears of doctors in the hours following the quake.
21:36 Today we are facing a terrible tragedy.
21:38 There are victims who need blood.
21:44 We have called on people to donate and the number of people who came has really taken
21:48 us aback.
21:50 The World Health Organization estimates that about 300,000 people in the Marrakech region
21:56 have been affected by the earthquake, Morocco's deadliest in six decades.
22:02 Meanwhile NGOs and volunteer groups here in France are already springing into action
22:07 to try to help in Morocco.
22:08 Camille Knight has this report.
22:12 Faced with the disaster that hit Morocco, towns across France have been quick to react.
22:17 In this flea market near Besançon, the blue and yellow colours of Ukraine have been swiftly
22:21 replaced by red and green.
22:23 We're not tied to one country, we're united to help countries and today Morocco is in
22:27 need so we're focusing on that.
22:29 A number of small volunteer groups have sprung into action across France, like here in this
22:33 town in Brittany where medical equipment is being collected.
22:38 Who gave you all that?
22:39 Hospitals gave us this stuff, hospitals near us and two local care homes.
22:46 In Rouen, a halal supermarket is collecting donations.
22:50 In Strasbourg, the Muslim Cultural Institute has been gathering clothes and basic necessities
22:55 from donors.
22:58 This morning I quickly collected what I had at home, so blankets, sheets, you don't know
23:03 what to do with them but you keep them in case they can be useful and well today they
23:07 can be useful.
23:09 Celebrities have also rushed to pledge their support, like comedian Gadel Malet born in
23:12 Morocco or Franco-Moroccan comedian Jamel Debrouze.
23:17 Let's all do our bit to help Morocco and pray that lives will be saved in the hours and
23:21 days ahead.
23:22 From celebrities to anonymous donors, the scale of the unfolding tragedy has shaken
23:27 people across France.
23:29 Coming up with that report.
23:31 Meanwhile France's foreign ministry has advised French citizens visiting Morocco to return
23:35 home if possible.
23:37 Many tourists have already taken early flights back to their home countries.
23:41 But it's very worrying for business owners in Morocco who say foreign visitors are highly
23:46 important customers.
23:47 Siobhan Silk has more.
23:50 The work is well underway to repair the damage in Marrakech's Medina.
23:56 This historic district is one of the main tourist draws in the city.
24:01 From some angles it seems to look the same as always, there are still some visitors milling
24:06 about.
24:07 But many have ended their holidays early and the businesses that rely on tourist spending
24:12 say they're facing losses.
24:16 Usually tourists stop by our store when they visit the city.
24:20 Yesterday, because of what happened, there weren't many people, no visitors, no customers.
24:26 This phenomenon reminded us a bit of the Covid pandemic, the rush to the airport and all
24:35 that.
24:36 But I know a lot of people understand it was a natural event that happened, so we shouldn't
24:40 panic.
24:43 This BNB is close to the epicentre.
24:45 It survived the earthquake relatively unscathed, but its owner is concerned about the knock-on
24:51 effect.
24:52 60% of my bookings have been cancelled.
24:55 It's a pity because it's adding an economic catastrophe on top of the human catastrophe.
25:01 Tourism is hugely important to Morocco's economy.
25:04 It accounts for around 8% of GDP.
25:08 Some industry experts believe the downturn will be short-lived.
25:13 I'm concerned about new bookings.
25:14 That will be a problem for the next few weeks.
25:16 After that it will bounce back, I'm sure.
25:18 For the moment though, flights out of Morocco are filling up.
25:22 Most airlines are allowing passengers to change their flights to earlier dates without penalty.
25:47 [Music]
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