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Join on Telegram Rabat – Victims of the devastating earthquake that struck the Al Haouz region on September 8 announced a protest to shed light on their living conditions amid the deterioration of weather, particularly in the High Atlas Mountains – where temperatures drop significantly in the winter season.
The Coordination of the Earthquake Victims in Amizmiz, a small town near Marrakech, issued a press release over the weekend, announcing that a protest will take place on Tuesday to denounce the “continued negligence of local and regional officials” towards the conditions of the victims affected by the earthquake.
The protest also aims to “condemn the exclusion of certain individuals from the emergency aid.”
The statement called on all stakeholders in the town to participate in the protest, with the coordination saying that it is “astonished” by the recent statement of the inter-ministerial committee regarding the reconstruction program as well as “the persistent ambiguity on the part of the government concerning the implementation of what was indicated in the royal cabinet communications.”
The devastating earthquake left nearly 3,000 dead in several areas across the Al Haouz region, while over 5,500 were wounded.
The situation also left thousands of people homeless as the earthquake destroyed many houses across the region.
Amizmiz is one of the local towns affected by the earthquake. Under royal instructions, local authorities have been distributing tents and food to all affected areas.
Videos shared by the coordination, however, show people struggling due to the weather conditions, where temperatures drop significantly during the winter season in addition to heavy rainfalls.
The Moroccan government has been pledging that it will expedite the implementation of royal instructions, including the reconstruction of collapsed buildings and the distribution of monthly allowances directed for the affected families.
King Mohammed VI chaired a series of ministerial meetings where he urged the government to implement reconstruction programs to help the affected victims.
In September, the monarch chaired a working session dedicated to the program for the reconstruction of the affected regions.
The government allocated an $11.6 billion budget over a period of five years to benefit the six provinces most affected by the earthquake.
Under the program, 4.2 million people in the region are set to benefit from the multisectoral project.
The program also stipulated that families affected by the earthquake will receive financial aid of $243 for a period of one year.
Families whose homes were destroyed in the earthquake will receive MAD 140,000 ($13,600) in compensation, while families whose homes were only partially damaged will receive MAD 80,000 ($7,780) in compensation.
