After both disasters, authorities spurned offers of help and left victims to suffer
ground shook; then the skies opened. Just before midnight on September 8th an earthquake struck Morocco with a magnitude of 6.8, the strongest in more than a century. The shallow epicentre was south-west of Marrakesh, under the Atlas mountains, a soaring range that bisects the country. Hilltop villages were reduced to heaps of rubble. At least 2,900 people were killed.
Morocco and Libya have little in common. Morocco is a stable monarchy led by the same family since the 17th century. Libya has not one but, an internationally recognised one in the west and a warlord-led one in the east, neither of which can perform the basic functions of a state. One country is a popular tourist destination and a manufacturing hub for Europe; the other a war-torn state that is nonetheless a major oil producer.
In the hours after the earthquake, dozens of foreign countries offered help. Morocco accepted it from just four: Britain, Qatar, Spain and the United Arab Emirates. A group from Secouristes sans Frontières, a French charity, was blocked from entering the country. Germany organised a 50-man rescue team, only to stand them down hours later.
Moroccans are not sure if their king, who spends much of his time in Paris, was even in the country when the earthquake happened. It took him almost five days to pay a quick visit to Marrakesh. Before he arrived, workers could be seen repainting kerbs and zebra crossings—an odd choice of priorities.If Morocco’s response has been slow, Libya’s has been shambolic. The authorities had ample warning about Daniel, which poured torrential rains on Greece almost a week before it hit Libya.
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