Belgian-Moroccans Stranded in Morocco Plead for Repatriation Amid Pandemic

"I am stuck in Morocco with my whole family. My parents and my two brothers are in very poor health. My father was born in 1937; he is really at risk. We have dual nationality, Belgian and Moroccan, but Belgian first. We really feel abandoned," Rachid told RTL INFO. According to him, his parents, his two younger brothers and he had gone to Meknes on March 10 to return to Brussels on March 20. But the global health crisis is complicating their return.

The other problem they are facing is their dual nationality. According to Moroccan law, dual nationals hold the Moroccan passport and the state only recognizes their Moroccan nationality. They are therefore considered solely as Moroccans to whom the country’s decisions apply. However, since the pandemic has been raging in the kingdom, it has been formally forbidden for nationals to leave Moroccan territory.

On the Belgian side, the authorities explain that the closure of Moroccan airspace prevents them from repatriating their nationals. "Therefore, we cannot send a plane to their territory. However, we have had an exemption for 7 flights that have allowed us to bring back 1,081 people," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

However, the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs assures that he is in talks with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, so that a solution can be found for the repatriation of the 500 Belgian-Moroccans stranded in the Kingdom.