Thousands of Stranded Moroccans Face Ramadan Hardships Abroad Amid Travel Bans

"The conditions here are catastrophic, there is a shortage of food and drinks, and power cuts for about 6 hours a day. Everyone has left; only the Moroccans are still here," Khaoula, 28, an employee in a hotel complex on an island in the Maldives, told TelQuel. For her, "this is the worst Ramadan" of her life. Like Khaoula, many Moroccans stranded abroad are finding it difficult during this Ramadan month.

"For Ramadan, it’s painful because we’re used to spending this month with family, around small feasts. The circumstances mean that today, we find ourselves in a difficult situation. The day passes very sadly, because we wake up and we only have one thing in mind, it’s to go home, to see our family, our friends. We try to hold on anyway, but it’s not easy," said Fahd, 35. This young Moroccan had left for the south of France on March 12 before finding himself confined.

"I’m spending Ramadan far from my little family, with tears in my eyes. I feel like I’m in a prison or a psychiatric center. When I finish my ftour, I spend the evening reading the Quran and talking to my children and my wife," says Badr, 33, a father of two. He went to Turkey on a business trip and has been stuck there for 52 days. Broke, he asked the Istanbul consulate for help. No response.

"I did ask the Istanbul consulate for help, but they literally slammed the door in my face, telling me to contact them by email or phone; which I’ve done a thousand times without any response," he laments, with videos and messages to back him up. He finally got the consul general, who offered him a room in a hotel. But he had to share it with two other unknown people; which he refused, knowing that the virus is circulating and that the sanitary conditions are not respected. "He told me he couldn’t do anything for me and blocked me on WhatsApp," he added.