Rabat – The Moroccan government is working “very seriously” to complete the operation of repatriating Moroccans stranded in Libya, said Mustapha El Khalfi, the minister delegate for relations with parliament and civil society and government spokesperson.
The government spokesperson said at a press briefing held Thursday after a weekly cabinet meeting in Rabat that the ministry in charge of Moroccans living abroad and Migration Affairs is addressing the issue in coordination with all institutions involved to ensure the success of the operation.
He added that a committee has been working intensely over the past days, under the said ministry’s supervision, to ensure the “safe” return of the migrants “in good conditions.”
El Khalfi affirmed that this “top priority” case is being closely followed so as to bring the Moroccans back to their homeland in the same conditions as the previous repatriation operation, which allowed for the return of 200 Moroccans aboard two planes.
The minister said that the concerned government sectors have mobilized, after Essaouira tragic event, to monitor the measures taken on this matter, adding that several provisions were adopted to update the mechanism governing public charity.
A large group of Moroccans are currently stranded in Libya after their attempts to cross the Mediterranean to Europe have failed. In several videos, the migrants have called for help from the Moroccan government and King Mohammed VI to bring them back to Morocco as soon as possible.
In response to the video, Moroccan authorities vowed to repatriate the large group of Moroccan migrants.
“The Moroccans will be repatriated,” an official in charge of Moroccans living abroad and migration affairs told AP.
“The operation takes time and involves many people, but we are working on it,” the official said, adding that the Moroccan authorities are holding meetings with migrant families to reassure them.
The Moroccan Ministry in Charge of Moroccans Living Abroad and Migrations Affairs said on its Facebook account on November 15 that it is working to repatriate Moroccans stranded in Libya.
The ministry said that it is “following the Moroccans situation and is working very seriously and in full cooperation with all other institutions concerned in order to repatriate our citizens home.”
