September 10, 2023
No. 294
The strongest earthquake to strike Morocco in 120 years occurred near Marrakesh on the evening of September 8. To date, the death toll has reached 2,012, another 2,059 people have been injured, and property losses are inestimable. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced that it would donate US$500,000 to assist the Moroccan people in postdisaster recovery and reconstruction efforts.
After the earthquake, MOFA promptly expressed its condolences via social media. It instructed Taiwan’s representative offices in France to convey the concerns of the government and people to Morocco’s embassy and consulates general in France, as well as Taiwan’s willingness to provide relevant assistance. The Special Search and Rescue Team of the National Fire Agency also quickly mobilized, ready to deploy to Morocco at a moment’s notice to help with disaster relief.
Morocco is conducting its own disaster relief efforts and, thus far, has not requested assistance from the international community. As such, search and rescue teams from around the world are still unable to help. Taiwan and Morocco do not have formal diplomatic relations and have not established representative offices in each other’s countries. Although there are currently no channels for direct engagement, during this time of hardship for Moroccans affected by the disaster, the Taiwan government and people still seek to do their utmost to provide aid. Demonstrating the humanitarian spirit of Taiwan can help and Taiwan is helping, Taiwan will make the US$500,000 donation through a third party. This will enable the people affected to more quickly rebuild their homes and return to normal life. (E)