Morocco

2023 Morocco earthquake, the most powerful ever recorded in the country

The earthquake that struck Morocco on 9 September 2023 is the most powerful ever recorded in the country, with a magnitude of 7 according to data from the Moroccan Centre for Scientific and Technical Research. This natural disaster killed nearly 3,000 people and affected more than 300,000 others in isolated mountain villages in the provinces of Al Haouz (Marrakech-Safi region) and Taroudant (Souss Massa region). Present in Morocco since 2013 alongside local partners, the Médecins du Monde network immediately provided support to help the victims of this earthquake.

In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, Médecins du Monde organised an assessment mission. The local team was immediately reinforced with three additional staff members: an emergency coordinator, a mental health and psychosocial support coordinator and a logistics coordinator.

This assessment mission quickly turned into an emergency psychosocial intervention, and initial psychological care was provided to those affected. A partnership was established with CARE Morocco, which focused on meeting basic needs such as distributing food and hygiene kits, while Médecins du Monde took charge of psychosocial care. This care was provided by two mobile teams, made up of a total of six Moroccan psychologists. Medical care was the responsibility of the government from the outset.

The mental health and psychosocial support activities took the form of individual psychological consultations and group activities, including discussion groups, group psychological first aid interventions and thematic workshops.

At the same time, training courses were offered to local partner organisations, particularly on mental health and psychosocial support in emergency situations.

Médecins du Monde’s response continues in the months following the disaster

Médecins du Monde teams remain reinforced on the ground: a response team of 12 national psychologists are working alongside their colleagues in charge of coordination and logistics.

While the first phase of the response focused on meeting the basic needs of those affected by the earthquake, the second phase, in 2024, will target the restoration of access to essential services for vulnerable people in the areas affected by the earthquake.

The earthquake highlighted pre-existing inequalities in the intervention area: marginalised people who were able to meet their basic needs before the disaster were doubly affected by the earthquake and by intersectional factors of exclusion. Marginalised populations are particularly vulnerable due to their pre-existing vulnerability.