After their homes were demolished by a catastrophic earthquake in the Moroccan town of Amizmiz, hundreds of citizens have demonstrated against the local government.
One of the areas most severely affected by the earthquake on September 8 was Amizmiz, which is situated 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Marrakesh.
The earthquake, which killed almost 3,000 people and left thousands more injured and homeless, was the deadliest to hit Morocco in more than 60 years.
The local government is accused by the inhabitants of ignoring them and delaying assistance.
Following the earthquake, officials housed displaced people in tent camps while also promising financial support to aid in the reconstruction of their houses.
However, the protestors now claim they must leave the camps because the weather is getting worse, with the region being lashed by strong winds and rainstorms and temperatures falling as winter draws near.
The demonstrators also claim that local officials denied some homeowners who lost their houses aid, including tents.
Despite the Amizmiz Earthquake Victims’ Coordination Organization, which had planned the demonstration, pulling out, the rally took place on Tuesday.
The organization said that once local officials made a commitment to resolve their concerns, they withdrew.
They said that officials had pledged to expedite relief, including giving new tents to individuals who had not yet received any and to those whose previous tents had been ruined by the inclement weather.
They also promised to increase camp cleanliness and provide the displaced people access to electricity and water.
King Mohammed VI of Morocco committed 120 billion Moroccan dirhams ($11.6 billion; £9.4 billion) over five years to rehabilitate the earthquake-damaged areas and provide aid to the more than 4.2 million affected individuals last month.
According to the proposal, each household with a collapsed home would get 140,000 dirhams in rebuilding funding, and each household with a partially damaged home will receive 80,000 dirhams.
As part of a 12-month monetary relief scheme, the government announced earlier this month that it has begun giving each impacted household 2,500 dirhams each month in assistance.
Following the earthquake, the Moroccan government came under fire from some individuals for rejecting certain foreign help offerings when thousands of people urgently needed it.
“I think it is really an error [to insist on] sovereignty and national pride. This is not the moment to refuse because the aid is essential, even developed countries accept outside help [in disasters],” activist Maati Mounjib told the BBC’s Newsday programme at the time.
