France’s relationship with Africa has deteriorated to the point where the King of Morocco, King Mohammed VI, has refused to accept French aid in the aftermath of the earthquake that struck the North African kingdom. On Friday night, September 8th, 2023, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco. This tragic incident has killed around 2500 individuals and injured many more. According to the US Geological Survey, no earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 6.0 have occurred within 310 miles of the centre of Friday’s quake in at least a century. Parts of the walls encircling Marrakesh’s old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site erected in the 12th century, were shattered and destroyed as a result of the shock.
As is customary in such situations, offers of assistance have poured in from all over the world, including France, a former colonial power with a sizable Moroccan diaspora. According to AFP, on Saturday, September 9th, shortly after the earthquake, French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was “devastated by the terrible earthquake” and sent a message of support and offer of aid to Morocco’s King Mohammed VI. However, it has been more than three days since Macron issued an offer of assistance, and Morocco has yet to accept.
Even as the death toll in the disaster approaches 2,500, French assistance workers have expressed dissatisfaction at not gaining permission from Moroccan authorities to enter the country and begin working. Arnaud Fraisse, the founder of the French humanitarian organisation First Responders Without Borders, commented, “”Unfortunately, we still don’t have the go-ahead from the Moroccan authorities.” He also stated that he was unaware of the cause of the “blockage.” Later that day, on September 11th, Mr Fraisse retracted his offer to Morocco because the so-called golden period, during which most earthquake victims are found alive, had already passed. “Our role is not to find bodies,” he clarified.
Meanwhile, a British team of 60 rescue personnel and four search dogs landed in Morocco on two Royal Air Force A400M planes sponsored by the Ministry of Defence. In addition, Spain deployed 86 rescuers to Morocco after Rabat accepted their offer of assistance, and the Gulf states of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are sending specialists as well.
The apparent rejection from Morocco’s monarch has astonished French aid workers, who believe they would be well-placed to assist due to technical competence and the fact that French is widely spoken in Morocco. Moroccan officials, on their part, have stated that they are reviewing the aid requests since “a lack of coordination could be counterproductive.”
Morocco has had various historical grievances with France, which reigned over the North African kingdom as a colonial force until independence in 1956. According to , a French historian and professor at the prestigious Sorbonne University, the refusal of aid constituted a “clear political sign.” “We know King Mohammed VI’s diplomacy,” he told AFP. “He likes to send messages, make swipes, and show how angry he is.”
Overall, France has had decent ties with Morocco in recent decades, better than with other former colonies such as Algeria, but in 2021, tensions erupted between the two nations as a result of France reducing the number of visas available to Moroccan citizens. At the time, the French authorities claimed that Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia were not cooperating in efforts to combat illegal immigration. French officials, in particular, accused these nations of refusing to accept back people whose visa applications had been refused in France.
Due to the visa issue, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna visited Rabat, Morocco’s capital, last year. Her visit was intended to enhance relations and lead to an increase in visas for Moroccan citizens, but complaints about visa procedures persisted. This issue, combined with previous colonial conflicts, has weakened the relationship between the King and Macron.
France’s efforts to repair ties with Algeria, Morocco’s regional competitor, have also strained relations between Macron and King Mohammed VI. Last year, the French president paid his second official visit to Algeria in an attempt to repair traditionally strained ties. Algeria backs the Polisario Front, an organisation that has been fighting for Western Sahara’s independence for decades. Morocco, for its side, wants France to recognise Western Sahara as Moroccan territory, which Paris has so far refused to do.
The French president’s scheduled visit to Morocco has been repeatedly postponed, and the position of Moroccan ambassador to France has been vacant for months. Officials in France have attempted to downplay any schism between the two countries, which is concentrated on the subject of Western Sahara, which Morocco wants France to recognise as Moroccan territory. On Monday, September 11th, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna denied claims of a snub by Morocco and stressed that it was up to Morocco how it wanted to process aid requests. She stated, “”We are ready to assist Morocco.” It’s a Moroccan decision, and it’s up to them to make it.” She referred to the situation as a “misplaced controversy” thus far. She also stated that France had pledged €5 million (£4.29 million) to help and rescue organisations already operating in Morocco.
While France is attempting to downplay the tensions between the two countries, Morocco has not. In fact, the government officially stated through its Interior Minister that for the time being, it would only accept search teams from four “friendly countries,” namely Spain, the United Kingdom, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. It would accept aid from other “friendly” countries if necessary, according to the statement. Morocco’s foreign minister has yet to react to a request for comment on why the country has not accepted offers of assistance from other countries.
While some analysts believe that the King of Morocco’s refusal to accept French aid is due to pride and incompetence, according to Lise Storm, a professor specialising in North African politics at England’s University of Exeter, the Spanish and UK rescue teams have stated that they are impressed by the professionalism of their Moroccan counterparts and that things are going well.
In the midst of political tensions between France and Morocco, the Moroccan people have been profoundly affected by the earthquake and have criticised the government for its late response. One of the earthquake victims, Abdul Karim, indicated that he is still waiting for the authorities to come and help his shattered community. “We’re not asking for much — not villas, just small homes,” he said, adding that while regular Moroccans have been sending food to this hamlet about an hour’s drive south of Marrakech, he and his fellow villagers have received little official assistance. “Hundreds of people’s homes have been damaged. They have nowhere to go.”Long queues of people waited in the blazing morning sun three miles north in the town of Amizmiz awaiting relief from troops. Some have voiced dissatisfaction with the amount of aid supplied, with military commanders doing their utmost to keep the throng quiet.
The earthquake disaster in Morocco is a tragic event, but it has also highlighted France’s diminishing influence in Africa.
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