Moroccans Empty Supermarkets in Rush to Aid Earthquake Victims

"We are out of stock," says Soufiane, an employee at Marjane, one of the main supermarket chains in Morocco. "Yesterday, we bought everything. In total, each of us spent about 2,000 dirhams - 183 euros," says Yasmine, a young student who works with the association Marock Jeunesse, to ABC. Same observation at the Carrefour supermarket where the dairy shelves are completely empty. "We hope that other products will arrive this afternoon," says Salma, the store manager, to ABC.es.

Since Friday, civil society has mobilized to help the victims of the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Morocco. It is particularly the youngest who are leading this humanitarian response. "There are people who can’t make ends meet and who continue to spend their money. It’s incredible," exclaims Noureddine, a resident of Marrakech. The traffic of cars and vans filled with products is constant on the road from Marrakech leading to the southern cities like Asni.

Morocco is facing a huge reconstruction challenge, but the most urgent task is to assist the people affected by this tragedy. Moroccans are showing solidarity with their brothers, but complain that aid "should come from the government" in which they say they have no confidence. For its part, the Moroccan government is trying to provide quick answers to this situation. The head of government, Aziz Akhannouch, announced on Monday that owners of destroyed homes will be compensated.

The victims living in hard-to-reach areas express their anger. They had to wait three days to see the rescue services arrive. Meanwhile, they had to mobilize to pull their loved ones trapped under the rubble and bury them quickly according to Muslim rites. On social media, the government is facing criticism.