Morocco: six months after the earthquake, the fight for survival

"Every time I ask, they tell me it’s coming. [...] But I have children to feed and clothe," said Abdallah, 35, a resident of the village of Douzrou located about 80 kilometers from the city of Marrakech. While the survivors of the earthquake in this village - 150 families - have received a monthly allowance of 2,500 dirhams (249 dollars), or 20,000 dirhams from the government for reconstruction, the others are still waiting to receive the aid.

To read:

About 60,000 houses were completely destroyed by the violent earthquake that occurred on the night of September 8-9 in the province of Al-Haouz south of Marrakech. This earthquake killed 2,946 people and injured 5,674 according to the latest official report from the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior. At the end of January, the Moroccan government announced that about 57,600 families had received the monthly allowance and that more than 44,000 households had received reconstruction assistance. The government "is committed to meeting the expectations of the local population with speed and efficiency," assured Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.

Since January, victims from the regions south of Marrakech, in the province of Taroudant and the city of Talat N’yacoub, have been organizing marches to protest against the delays in payment and reconstruction assistance during the difficult winter conditions. Last month, the issue reached Parliament. Reconstruction efforts "remain shrouded in darkness and improvisation," said MP Fatima Tamni, who called on Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit to act. Explaining itself, the Moroccan government said some requests had been rejected because residents did not live in the affected areas at the time of the earthquake or because their homes were still habitable.

To read: Morocco Likely to Seek International Aid for Earthquake Recovery, Fitch Reports

The survivors of Douzrou have nevertheless benefited from the support of Moroccan and Dutch NGOs who have built them shacks, protecting them from the cold. "There would have been many more victims with the wind these last few days if we hadn’t had this," said Hamed, 68.