Morocco’s decision to suspend its flights with about forty countries was not supported by the support measures and repatriation of Moroccans stranded in the respective countries.

The Moroccan Government Should Move, And Immediately! Moroccan citizens are currently facing real humanitarian crises elsewhere. The decision to close borders with around 40 countries around the world has prevented thousands of Moroccans from returning to their countries. Moroccans who were not necessarily on vacation or settled in these countries. Many went there for professional or health reasons. In the last two months, the rate of flight suspension has increased in view of the changing epidemic situation around the world. The decision to suspend flights with France and Spain from March 30, 2021, caused a wave of panic among those visiting Morocco, especially when we know that the government is announcing the suspension of flights 24 hours earlier.

As in the previous year, these brutal decisions left thousands of Moroccans, who had to return home. In our contact, a Moroccan stranded in Turkey gives us a blackboard from about 22 of his fellow citizens since February 22, 2021, the date of the suspension of flights with Turkey.

Mafia network victim
“These are the real tragedies happening in Turkey right now. Some have come for a few days due to health reasons and have been left for almost two months with no money, no food and no shelter. With about twenty Moroccans, we tented under a bridge, where we had been sleeping in the cold for more than a month. During the day, we go round, we try to find odd jobs to be able to eat our hunger. Our families in Morocco and Morocco living in Turkey help us from time to time, but this is not enough. I do not understand why our country refuses to protect us from this humiliating situation. I feel betrayed, “harms our source.

He also states with regret that many Moroccan women have turned into prostitutes to survive. “They were recruited by the Mafia prostitution network, led by Syrians for the most part (…) This is a crime in which our government is embroiled,” emphasizes our source. A mafia network specializing in illegal immigration has harassed many Moroccans by stealing thousands of euros without promising to return to Morocco.

Attempts to contact the Consulate General of Morocco in Istanbul were unsuccessful. While the consulate had shown strong mobility and accountability, for the case of thousands of Moroccans stranded in 2020, this year, it shone with its incomparable silence. “Already, the consulate is located in a district far away from the city center. To get there, we have to pay an arm and a leg when we have nothing to eat. When we travel, they refuse to receive us ”, specifies our interlocutor.

Recall that last year, Moroccans stranded abroad held a number of sit-ins and demonstrations demanding their repatriation. Their number was much larger. This year, they will have only a few thousand to live this nightmare around the world. Another reason for the authorities to quickly return them. For those stranded in Turkey, for example, a single flight will suffice. And the bitterness is strengthened when these 200 Moroccans watch Turkish Airlines flights to repair the Turks stranded in Morocco. Plan to leave empty.

Along with Turkey, many other countries such as France and Spain are currently bringing back their citizens trapped in Morocco. The government of Morocco, an ally in the suffering and social tragedies of thousands of Moroccans abroad, is turning a deaf ear. Till when?.