Scenarios for Repatriation of Moroccans Stranded Abroad Are 'Ready' (Govt. Chief)

The scenarios for the repatriation of Moroccans stranded abroad are “ready”, head of government, Saad Dine El Otmani, said Wednesday in Rabat.

 “The scenarios for this issue are ready and I hope the good news will be announced soon,” Otmani told a plenary session of the House of Representatives discussing his presentation on “Confinement management for post May 20.

 The head of government said that not allowing Moroccans stranded abroad, including MPs and senior officials, to return home was “a state decision”.

 Moroccan citizens are also stranded in some cities and want to visit their relatives, El Otmani said, noting that “the context of health confinement sometimes involves painful but necessary decisions”.

 Insisting on the right of these citizens to return home, El Otmani said that the government has been working since the beginning of the crisis on all repatriation scenarios and has taken all measures to ensure that this operation takes place under the best conditions, especially in terms of combating the spread of the virus.

 The allegations on the abandonment of these citizens by the government are “devoid of any foundation”, he said, stressing the mobilization in their favor of the government and relevant departments, with the establishment of crisis units for constant monitoring of the case.

 In this regard, he recalled that 150 support and monitoring units have been created, including about 100 at the level of the Kingdom’s embassies and consulates. Similarly, telephone lines have been made available to stranded Moroccans, as well as various communication channels dedicated to complaints and access to information.

 According to him, nearly 31,800 citizens were registered, while consulates and embassies covered the accommodation costs of 6,573 of them, in addition to the care costs of hundreds of others.