Almost 24 hours after the devastating 6.8 magnitude earthquake that shook the southern Moroccan region of Marrakech, King Mohamed VI arrived in Morocco. In all that time, there was no statement from the Alawite royal house. A silence and a highly criticized delay and highly questioned, which adds to the rejection of international aid. Furthermore, he has not yet addressed his town or visited the area devastated by the worst earthquake of this century in the Maghreb country.

Presiding over the meeting, King Mohammed VI made an appearance on Saturday afternoon. It took the monarch 18 hours to travel from Paris, where I was on vacation, to Rabat. Key hours in which, in his absence, the Moroccan government also did not address the serious situation.

The expert in international relations and international security, Jesús Núñez Villaverde, has assured that this “what shows, once again, is that Morocco, based on this very dysfunctional structure is not in a position to respond effectively to a disaster and a tragedy like the one its own population is now suffering.

The delay of the king of Morocco has not passed unnoticed by the press. They ironically with vignettes such as the one in which they inform Mohamed VI that the kingdom has suffered a serious earthquake and he, looking out the window, says that he “hasn’t noticed anything.”

For Ignacio Cembrero, journalist and writer, this absence “creates some confusionthere are obviously criticisms especially on social networks.” “Also from the youtubers, who have a great influence in the country, saying where the king is and how, above all, it has taken him so long to react.

Added to this is another controversy. While Morocco has accepted the collaboration, late due to the absence of the king, from Spain, the United Kingdom, the Arab Emirates or Qatar, has declined aid from France due to the position of its president, Emmanuel Macron. For Rabat, Macron has been little forceful over Western Sahara. Not only France, since it has not accepted help from Germany either.

“It is a reaction of a certain wounded national pride by Morocco, which in any case is detrimental to this much-needed aid to save the lives of those who are still buried under the rubble right now,” explained Núñez Villaverde.