Belgian-Moroccan Woman Stranded in Morocco as COVID-19 Border Closures Separate Couple

Leaving for Essaouira on March 10, Khadija finds herself stuck in her country of origin since the suspension of air traffic and the closure of borders. The couple is taking steps to repatriate Khadija to Belgium. They send ongoing correspondence with their marriage contract and identity documents to the Belgian consulate in Rabat. To no avail. The Belgian-Moroccan is still stuck in Morocco.

She has made multiple requests to be part of the Belgians and Belgian-Moroccans to be repatriated to Belgium, but her requests have never been accepted. As proof, she receives an email from the Belgian diplomacy telling her that her file has been rejected. And for good reason, Khadija would not meet certain criteria, namely: having children waiting for her in Belgium, being in a situation of distress, or being ill.

"It’s not my fault if I don’t have children. It’s not my fault if I’m not sick," fumes Khadija. "We are a family. I don’t understand why my wife is not being repatriated. She is Belgian, a homeowner in Charleroi; she pays her taxes in Belgium, is affiliated with the health insurance...", Franz gets angry. "I don’t know what else to do to find her."

"It’s atrocious. We suffer terribly. We just want to be together and now they’re preventing us from doing so," laments the sexagenarian. Same feeling for the wife. "I feel abandoned, far from my man. Separating a couple is a crime," the Belgian-Moroccan confides to RTBF via Skype.

At the announcement of another flight on Monday, May 11, the couple seems to have a little hope. They decide to prepare a new file with other documents. It remains to be seen whether Khadija’s file will be accepted this time.