Morocco Prisoners Make Masks for Fellow Inmates

Some one hundred inmates in around 20 Moroccan prisons are making 20,000 masks a day. (AFP)
Some one hundred inmates in around 20 Moroccan prisons are making 20,000 masks a day. (AFP)
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Morocco Prisoners Make Masks for Fellow Inmates

Some one hundred inmates in around 20 Moroccan prisons are making 20,000 masks a day. (AFP)
Some one hundred inmates in around 20 Moroccan prisons are making 20,000 masks a day. (AFP)

Prisoners in Morocco are doing their bit in the country's fight against the spread of coronavirus -- by making thousands of face masks for fellow inmates.

"We feel like we are contributing to the collective effort, even if it's from behind prison walls," 40-year-old Khalid, wearing a white coat and a face mask, told AFP during an interview in the presence of prison management.

An inmate at Casablanca's Ain Sebaa prison -- the kingdom's most crowded jail, with some 8,000 inmates -- Khalid leaves his cell every day for the sewing workshop, passing through long corridors that reek of disinfectant.

He finishes off the masks while others cut the fabric or pack the protective items into plastic bags for distribution to some 80,000 prisoners across the country.

The North African kingdom has officially declared 7,300 coronavirus infections, including 197 deaths.

It has extended its lockdown until June 10, and anyone going outdoors requires authorization and must wear a mask.

Police checks are frequent, and those caught risk up to three months in prison and a fine of up to 1,300 dirhams ($130) for violating the rules.

'Spirit of citizenship'

One of the aims of the pilot program, launched at Ain Sebaa prison at the start of May, is to "foster a spirit of citizenship" among detainees and "help them to manage their detention during the lockdown", prison management said.

Since Morocco declared a medical state of emergency in mid-March, prison visits and any activities that require outside intervention have been halted.

Hospital visits are limited to emergencies, while court attendance has also been suspended, with hearings held via video conference.

Over 300 virus cases have been recorded among inmates in the country's prisons, with about a quarter of infections among personnel, according to official figures.

Rights groups have urged authorities to release some detainees to limit the risk of infection among the country's notoriously overcrowded prisons.

At the start of April, King Mohammed VI pardoned more than 5,600 prisoners.

No cases have been registered at the Ain Sebaa facility, which has "rigorously" applied preventive measures, director Abderrahim Kerrari said.

Disinfectant has been installed at the main entrance and in areas leading to the cells, and sanitizing gel stands on every table in the workshop.

'Modest contribution'

Some of the mask-makers, like 54-year-old Mustafa, worked in the clothing industry before their arrest.

He said he was happy to be "useful to society", while fellow inmate Wafaa, 37, said he'd signed up to develop skills and gain experience.

The program also aims to "prepare inmates for reintegration into society by instilling in them values such as solidarity", Kerrari said.

Those taking part were already involved in the prison's sewing workshops, and received two days of training on mask-making.

Participants are paid for their efforts, based on the number of days worked, although the amount was not disclosed.

The administration chose them for their "good conduct", giving priority to inmates serving shorter sentences, Kerrari added.

Collectively, some one hundred prisoners in around 20 Moroccan facilities are making 20,000 masks a day -- just a drop in the ocean when compared to the 10 million produced daily in local factories repurposed in the fight against the pandemic.

But in the workshop of the women's wing, 35-year-old Meriem expressed a sense of satisfaction in taking part.

"I am very happy to be doing a job that's useful for our people during the pandemic," she said.

"I feel I am doing my duty, even if it's just a modest contribution."



Anxiety Rises in DR Congo Capital as M23 Rebels Advance in East 

Residents venture out onto the streets following clashes at Kadutu Market in Bukavu on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Residents venture out onto the streets following clashes at Kadutu Market in Bukavu on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Anxiety Rises in DR Congo Capital as M23 Rebels Advance in East 

Residents venture out onto the streets following clashes at Kadutu Market in Bukavu on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Residents venture out onto the streets following clashes at Kadutu Market in Bukavu on February 18, 2025. (AFP)

As Rwanda-backed rebels strolled through the streets of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's second-largest city, President Felix Tshisekedi's office claimed it was actually still controlled by his army and "valiant" allied forces.

It was the latest jarring move from the 61-year-old leader that has fueled a sense of worry and panic 1,600 km (1,000 miles) away in the capital Kinshasa, where some residents are looking to move their families abroad amid open talk of a coup.

"There was never any question of fighting in Bukavu. It was clear to all the people on the ground that the Rwandans and their auxiliaries were going to make their entry," said one army general who expressed bafflement at a statement issued by the president's office on Sunday.

Tshisekedi, he added, "doesn't have the right sources."

Anxiety is visible on the streets of Kinshasa as the army puts up limited resistance against the M23 group's advance and residents question whether Tshisekedi grasps the risk it poses.

Embassies have begun using armored vehicles for trips to the airport and sending some staff across the Congo River to Brazzaville, capital of Republic of Congo.

Three Kinshasa-based government officials told Reuters they were making arrangements to get their families out of the country.

Banker Matondo Arnold said he had already sent his family to Brazzaville after the rebels seized Goma, eastern Congo's biggest city, in late January. "We never imagined Goma could fall," he said.

As talk about a possible coup spread, Justice Minister Constant Mutamba said on X that Congolese "will not accept any coup that involves the Rwandan army to destabilize the country's institutions."

But even a member of Tshisekedi's Sacred Union coalition said the anxiety was unmistakable.

"Oh yes, it's panic. Some people are desperate and they are courting embassies" in search of an exit.

SUMMIT SNUB

This M23 advance is the gravest escalation in more than a decade of the long-running conflict in eastern Congo, rooted in the spillover of Rwanda's 1994 genocide into Congo and the struggle for control of Congo's vast minerals resources.

Rwanda rejects allegations from Congo, the United Nations and Western powers that it supports M23 with arms and troops. It says it is defending itself against the threat from a Hutu militia, which it says is fighting with the Congolese military.

As the hunt for a diplomatic resolution stalls, with Tshisekedi refusing to negotiate with the rebels, his camp faults the international community for failing to stand up to Rwanda by imposing sanctions.

"It's not a bad thing to refuse dialogue with an armed group like M23. The M23 is Rwanda," said a lawmaker close to the president. "Why doesn't the West do anything?"

Tshisekedi has skipped two African-organized meetings this month addressing the fighting - a joint summit in Dar es Salaam of Southern and Eastern African leaders and the annual African Union summit in Addis Ababa.

Instead, he travelled to the Munich Security Conference where he accused his predecessor Joseph Kabila of sponsoring M23's military campaign, which Kabila's camp denied.

The decision by Tshisekedi, who spent much of his life in Brussels, to fly to Europe drew derision from the Congolese political establishment.

"The fact that an African president snubs the African Union summit and prefers instead a security conference in Europe is indicative of who sustains him," said one former senior official.

Some members of Congo's fractious opposition are openly predicting Tshisekedi will not last.

"His lack of legitimacy is now proven, making him less and less listened to and more and more rejected by the population every day," said Olivier Kamitatu, a Kabila-era minister and spokesperson for opposition politician Moise Katumbi.

"Tshisekedi did not understand the issues of the country and the region. He did not have enough intellectual heft to lead Congo," said Martin Fayulu, who came in second in the 2018 election that brought Tshisekedi to power.

But it is unclear who could pose the most legitimate challenge to Tshisekedi, said Congolese analyst Bob Kabamba of the University of Liege in Belgium.

"With the capture of Goma and Bukavu, no one is sure of Tshisekedi's ability to control the security and political situation," he said.