In a video broadcast on Twitter addressed to the Moroccan people, Emmanuel Macron denounced, Tuesday September 12, “controversies that have no reason to exist” on the bilateral relationship between France and Morocco, while Rabat has so far not accepted the aid offered by Paris after the devastating earthquake in the Marrakech region. “It is obviously up to His Majesty the King and the Government of Morocco, in a fully sovereign manner, to organize international aid and therefore we are at the disposal of their sovereign choice”, declared the French president. Follow our live stream.
• King Mohammed VI made a first public appearance. Nearly four days after the earthquake, the King of Morocco appeared for the first time in front of a crowd in Marrakech. The sovereign was cheered by thousands of residents gathered on the roadsides to follow his procession. He then visited the injured, before donating blood, according to the official MAP agency.
More than 100 million euros in donations needed. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has launched a fundraising appeal for around 100 million euros to support relief operations in Morocco. “We need 100 million Swiss francs (105 million euros) to be able to respond to the most urgent needs”for health, water, sanitation and hygiene, declared the IFRC’s director of operations, Caroline Holt, during a press briefing in Geneva.
Nearly 2,900 dead. The provisional assessment still reports 2,862 deaths, according to the latest press release from the Moroccan Interior Ministry published Monday evening. The 6.8 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale that occurred Friday evening also caused 2,562 injured, while searches continue to find possible survivors.