Morocco on bad days

We are experiencing a spate of evils and misfortunes all over the world. Climate change, which some deny despite so much evidence, seems to be condemning the planet to the most adverse weather since the tragedy of the COVID pandemic. Now it is Morocco's turn, just as it was Turkey's a few months ago, and before that Italy, Greece and Hong Kong with the floods, or our island of La Palma with a destructive volcano, to suffer the effects of an earthquake that has left more than a thousand dead.

Morocco, a neighbouring and brotherly country, even if the ethnic, cultural and religious differences of its inhabitants make a difference, deserves all the solidarity it can muster so that it can overcome the pain caused by the victims and the incalculable material damage as soon as possible. An earthquake always causes serious damage, but none as serious as the deaths, although the parallel economic damage that mortgages the future of present and future generations is not to be underestimated.

The earthquake that has shaken the Al Haouz region, including the beautiful tourist city of Marrakech, is reminiscent of the one that struck the city of Agadir several decades ago, which also caused serious damage to the independence consolidation process that was underway.  This time it is occurring at a time when the country is regaining economic stability, winning international support in its conflict with Western Sahara and, although still fragile, consolidating a unique democracy in the Arab world.

Today Morocco is already a country with the capacity to deal with problems, but, given the magnitude of an earthquake of this nature, which affects a crucial part of its territory, all the aid that Spain can provide, whether from the government, the autonomous communities, NGOs or even private companies, must set an example of solidarity with a people who, in addition to the many reasons that unite us in history, neighbourhood and economy, have a million members living with us on a day-to-day basis.

In recent times, misfortunes are spread over the five continents and with multiple variants: from inexplicable wars like the one in Ukraine to storms that cause catastrophic floods, to the drought that makes it so difficult to help some peoples out of misery, to the resurgence of international stability, of which Africa is the best and most long-suffering example.

The return to the Cold War, which so marked forty years of recent history, is reflected in the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union and now with China in dispute over international leadership, the constant threat of terrorism and coups d'état in the face of the ambition for power and various interests that are unstoppably slowing down the democratisation process that was being promoted.

Now Morocco has been hit by a new fatal setback, located on another continent, but less than the distance between some Spanish provinces. The interim government led by Pedro Sánchez has reacted as expected, providing all possible assistance so that our neighbours to the south can quickly overcome this misfortune and quickly regain the dynamic momentum that the earthquake is threatening to halt.