Four Moroccans Killed, 84 Injured in Türkiye Earthquake

The village of Besnaya in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province at the border with Turkey, following an earthquake on 7 February 2023 (AFP)
The village of Besnaya in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province at the border with Turkey, following an earthquake on 7 February 2023 (AFP)
TT

Four Moroccans Killed, 84 Injured in Türkiye Earthquake

The village of Besnaya in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province at the border with Turkey, following an earthquake on 7 February 2023 (AFP)
The village of Besnaya in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province at the border with Turkey, following an earthquake on 7 February 2023 (AFP)

Four Moroccans were among the victims killed by the tragic earthquake that struck Türkiye on Monday, said government spokesperson Mustapha Baitas.

Baitas revealed that a crisis cell set up by the Kingdom's Embassy to follow-up relief efforts received 1,743 calls from members of the Moroccan community in Türkiye following the devastating earthquake.

Speaking during a press briefing after a government weekly session, Baitas confirmed that 84 Moroccans were injured by the earthquake, and that they are now in good health.

He said that telephone lines in the areas where the earthquake occurred were damaged, which made it difficult for the crisis cell to contact members of the Moroccan community in Türkiye.

The Moroccan Embassy in Ankara had provided members of the Moroccan community in Türkiye with telephone numbers and e-mail addresses following the violent earthquake that struck the south of the country.

Baitas noted that Moroccan King Mohammed VI sent a message of condolences to Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, extending his sincere compassion for the victims of the earthquake and their families.

On Tuesday, the Moroccan embassy in Ankara said a Moroccan woman, 51, died in Antakya in southern Türkiye in the devastating earthquake. She was married to a Turkish citizen. Her 16-year-old son was slightly injured in the quake.



Hemedti Issues Strict Orders to his Forces to Protect Sudanese People

 People collect clean water provided by a charity organization to people in Gedaref in eastern Sudan on August 30, 2024. (AFP)
People collect clean water provided by a charity organization to people in Gedaref in eastern Sudan on August 30, 2024. (AFP)
TT

Hemedti Issues Strict Orders to his Forces to Protect Sudanese People

 People collect clean water provided by a charity organization to people in Gedaref in eastern Sudan on August 30, 2024. (AFP)
People collect clean water provided by a charity organization to people in Gedaref in eastern Sudan on August 30, 2024. (AFP)

Commander of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemedti, issued on Saturday strict orders to his forces to protect civilians and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid in line with the commitments his delegation made at the recent peace talks in Geneva.

In a post on the X platform, he said he issued an “extraordinary administrative order to all the forces” to protect civilians and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.

He called on all commanders to abide by the orders in line with international humanitarian law. Any violators will be held accountable.

The RSF has been accused of widespread violations against civilians in areas under their control. They have also been accused of committing massacres in Gezira state in central Sudan. The RSF have denied the accusations.

Hemedti announced in August the formation of a “civilian protection force” that immediately assumed its duties in the Khartoum and Gezira states.

According to head of the RSF delegation to the Geneva talks, Omar Hamdan, the force is formed of 27 combat vehicles, backed by forces that have experience in cracking down on insubordination.

Hemedti stressed last week his commitment to all the outcomes of the Geneva talks, starting with ensuring the delivery of aid to those in need.

The RSF and army agreed to open two safe routes for the deliveries and to protect civilians to ease their suffering after nearly a year and a half of war.

The mediators in Geneva received commitments from the RSF that it would order the fighters against committing any violations against civilians in areas under their control.

Meanwhile, aid deliveries continued through the Adre border crossing with Chad. They are headed to people in Darfur in western Sudan.

Fifty-nine aid trucks carrying aid supplies crossed from Chad to Darfur, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on Saturday.

“The supplies are estimated to reach nearly 195,000 people in acute need in different parts of the country,” it added.

“About 128 aid trucks carrying supplies for an estimated 355,000 people are being prepared to cross into Sudan in the coming days and weeks to ensure a steady flow of supplies. Despite the surge of supplies through Adre, humanitarian partners have warned that ongoing rains and floods have damaged three major bridges in the region, limiting movements within Darfur,” it revealed.

“While progress has been made on the Adre border crossing, funding resources are depleting, and humanitarian funding is urgently required to sustain the supplies chain,” it urged.