More than 22,000 Moroccans have been stranded abroad since March 12, making Morocco one of the few countries that has not repatriated its nationals yet. Despite the government's promises, nothing has been done so far, with NGOs and MPs calling for rapid action. The National Committee, set up to monitor the situation of Moroccans stranded abroad because of the coronavirus travel ban, and a group of thirteen Moroccan associations have called for the urgent repatriation of Moroccans who have expressed their desire to return home. In an open letter addressed to the head of government, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the presidents of the two Houses of Parliament, they asked to «save stranded citizens». In their letter, sent Wednesday to Yabiladi, they also warned against the «delay of the Moroccan authorities, which have not yet acted on the repatriation of these nationals». The Committee called on officials to «announce a national and urgent plan for the return of all stranded Moroccans with specific deadlines and provisions as well as a budget» devoted to the operation. The signatories asked for «the implementation of all preventive measures during the repatriation operation». Sit-in and written questions This open letter comes as a group of Moroccans living abroad released a statement, announcing that they will be observing a sit-in on Monday, May 11, in front of all the consulates of the Kingdom around the world in order to demand their repatriation. «We hold the state responsible for the inhuman situation in which the stranded people find themselves», they argued. They also asked the Parliament and civil society to pressure the government to facilitate their return to Morocco. Ibtissam Azzaoui, an MP from the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), joined this mobilization pleading for the end of the ordeal endured for almost two months by more than 22,000 Moroccans. She addressed the issue in a written question to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The MP also asked the Minister of Health to reveal the preventive measures that would be implemented when receiving the stranded Moroccans. Foriegn Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita stressed, on April 23, when speaking to Yabiladi following his appearance before the Committee on Foreign Affairs, National Defense, Islamic Affairs and Moroccans Living Abroad in the House of Representatives, that «the right to return is a natural and indisputable right. But what is obvious is not necessarily appropriate in this exceptional context». Bourita notably assured that «the operation must be done in the best conditions without risking the lives of these nationals nor those of the rest of the population». He also said that not all stranded Moroccans could be repatriated, referring to nationals presenting emergencies, around 5,000 people. But even for these cases, no date has been communicated to the public as of yet. Bilan Coronavirus dans le monde 259 465 151 Contaminations 5 174 661 Décès 235 366 205 Guérisons 53.8% de la population mondiale vaccinée
