"The Al Haouz Earthquake and the Moroccan Lessons" by Prof. Abdelhak Azzouzi

The earthquake that struck Al Haouz and the Atlas Mountains on the night of Friday, September 9th, registering a magnitude of 7 on the Richter scale, caused unprecedented collective pain and sorrow.

The earthquake was devastating, given the number of deaths, injuries, and the widespread destruction of homes and dwellings in the villages. Rocks fell from the mountains, and the intense tremors forced people to flee their homes as birds abandoned their nests. This catastrophe significantly affected Morocco's intangible heritage.

However, what astonished the world was the overwhelming demonstration of solidarity from Moroccans, young and old, with their compatriots affected by the earthquake. Images poured in from all corners of Morocco, including the Moroccan Sahara, the Rif region, and from east to west, north to south, even from Moroccans abroad.

Photos showed Moroccan vehicles heading towards the affected areas, human chains purchasing essential supplies in stores to help those in Al Haouz, Taroudant, and Ouarzazate. Images also showed long lines of blood donors at hospitals. I personally witnessed this when a medical center was set up at the Université Euromed de Fès; students, their families, staff, and professors all competed to donate blood. Not to mention the generous financial contributions made to dedicated accounts. Images also showed the authorities, the royal army, and medical teams providing aid to the affected communities. This exemplary response from Moroccans surely adds to the list of Morocco's remarkable achievements, embodying the unity between the throne and the people.

As Morocco struggled to count the victims, support the widows and orphans, rebuild the devastated areas, and consider the children and orphans of the Al Haouz earthquake as the "nation's afflicted," there were foreign detractors and critics. They used media platforms and hollow magazines to provoke the feelings of Moroccans, downplaying the remarkable resilience of the Moroccan character in the face of challenges.

These entities could not accept that Morocco is an independent and sovereign nation with a growing reputation in the international system, forging strategic "win-win" humanitarian partnerships with African, Arab, and global countries. Of course, their biased reports failed against the wave of fraternity and solidarity displayed by the Moroccan people.

King Mohammed VI's visit to the victims at the Marrakech hospital, his blood donation for the victims, his generous contribution of one billion dirhams to counter the effects of the earthquake, and his chairing of the relief and resettlement sessions are the ultimate testimony to the "symphony" of national solidarity written by both the throne and the people.

Moroccans, bearers of great values of nationalism and humanity, have proven that phrases such as "Cradle of free men... Source of enlightenment" are not mere empty slogans, but are actually based on timeless principles that neither change nor fade.

Read the article in Arabic: https://www.aletihad.ae