Morocco’s King Mohammed VI Sends 90 Tons of Food Aid to Lebanon Amid Crisis

Some 22 tons of food supplies transported by two military aircraft were received on Saturday morning at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut by the representative of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, General Joseph Aoun, according to a statement from the Lebanese army. This first delivery will be supplemented by shipments transported by six other aircraft to make up a total of 90 tons of food supplies graciously offered by the Moroccan sovereign.

While expressing his gratitude for this "precious initiative", the senior Lebanese army officer wished "prosperity and progress to the Kingdom of Morocco" during the reception of the donation.

Prior to this delivery, a statement from the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), which announced the news, also stressed that this personal gift from the King is a mark of Morocco’s solidarity and brotherhood with Lebanon, facing "economic challenges and the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic".

Since the summer of 2019, Lebanon has been going through a difficult economic and financial situation, exacerbated by a political crisis marked by the vacancy of the presidency for eight months.

Faced with the difficult conditions encountered by the army subjected to an unprecedented budgetary austerity, the Chief of Staff had launched a cry of alarm in view of the obvious consequences on the salaries of the army personnel.