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Tourism Gradually Returns to Marrakech, Children Prepare to Resume School

Moroccan army personnel carry school desks into a tent in Amzmiz, El-Huz. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Moroccan army personnel carry school desks into a tent in Amzmiz, El-Huz. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Tourism Gradually Returns to Marrakech, Children Prepare to Resume School

Moroccan army personnel carry school desks into a tent in Amzmiz, El-Huz. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Moroccan army personnel carry school desks into a tent in Amzmiz, El-Huz. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

As Moroccan authorities grapple with delivering aid to survivors in the remote mountainous regions ravaged by the catastrophic earthquake that struck El-Huz, the situation in Marrakech, one of the prominent cities impacted by the tremor, seems to be gradually returning to normal.

Tourists have started flocking to the historic areas for which Marrakech is renowned, albeit with caution, as local authorities have erected barriers to prevent access to some landmarks that have shown signs of damage.

The city seems closer to its usual rhythm, though UNESCO has expressed significant concern about the harm inflicted on some of its World Heritage-listed sites.

The liveliest activity is observed during the night, with an influx of foreign visitors converging on the heart of the commercial city.

Shops have reopened their doors, and restaurants and cafes are once again welcoming tourists, according to Reuters.

Marrakech boasts a wealth of historic treasures, including World Heritage sites, such as Ksar Bahia, parts of which collapsed due to the earthquake.

The 6.8-magnitude quake, which struck on September 8, also impacted numerous other historic buildings, including the Almoravid Dome, Badi Palace, Ben Youssef Madrasa, and Bahia Palace.

The Jemaa el-Fnaa Square, which was among the most visited places in the past two days, remains a bustling hub.

Not far from Marrakech, in the Amzmiz region, which was one of the hardest-hit villages, hundreds of children and teenagers are regaining some hope after the earthquake shattered many of their dreams.

Army units set up on Friday tents in their schoolyard in preparation for resuming their education.

The Ministry of Education had announced the suspension of classes in the most affected villages due to varying degrees of damage to 530 educational institutions.

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Arab World

Sudanese Stakeholders Hold Roundtable Talks in Geneva

A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)
A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)
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Sudanese Stakeholders Hold Roundtable Talks in Geneva

A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)
A previous meeting of the coordination of Tagadum with the officials of the African Mechanism in Addis Ababa. (Tagadum on Facebook)

Geneva has hosted a third “roundtable” of meetings involving Sudanese political and civil groups aimed at bridging the gap between the country’s warring parties. These talks, coordinated by the French organization Promediation, follow similar meetings held previously in Cairo and Geneva. The primary goals are to negotiate a ceasefire and facilitate humanitarian aid to civilians.

The two-day meetings, which began on Monday, include representatives from the Coordination of Democratic Civil Forces (Tagadum), the pro-army Democratic Bloc coalition, and armed movements aligned with the bloc. However, some groups have announced their boycott of the meetings.

The Democratic Bloc has shown conflicting stances on attending the Geneva talks. Mohammed Zakaria, spokesperson for the bloc and a member of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), announced his group’s decision not to participate.

Omar Khalafallah, a leader in the Democratic Unionist Party and another bloc spokesperson, refuted Zakaria’s statement, insisting that the bloc would attend the meetings to promote a national vision.

A source within the Democratic Bloc told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meetings revealed significant internal divisions in the coalition. The JEM, led by current Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim, appears to be charting its own course, which the source described as a form of defection.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Sharif Mohammed Osman, a leader in Tagadum and the political secretary of the Sudanese Congress Party, explained that the meetings seek to achieve consensus on ending the war through negotiated solutions, starting with a humanitarian truce to ensure aid delivery and the opening of safe corridors.

These measures are considered preliminary steps toward a ceasefire and a peaceful resolution to the conflict, he underlined.

A wide array of civilian leaders are participating in the talks, including key figures from Tagadum, such as Sudanese Congress Party leader Omar Al-Dukair, Federal Gathering Party leader Babiker Faisal, and head of the Sudan Liberation Movement – Transitional Council Al-Hadi Idris.

Osman expressed optimism that the participants would issue a unified final statement addressing the peaceful resolution of the war and agreeing on a humanitarian truce to facilitate aid delivery.

In October, Cairo hosted a similar meeting, which resulted in a final statement signed by the participating groups, except for the Sudan Liberation Movement – Minni Minnawi faction and the JEM – Jibril Ibrahim faction, which refused to endorse the Cairo declaration despite attending the discussions.

Promediation, a French organization supported by the French and Swiss foreign ministries, has played a consistent role in Sudanese affairs. Since June 2022, it has organized roundtable discussions, initially focusing on negotiations between Darfuri armed movements before expanding its scope to include Sudanese political and civil forces in the wake of the war.