Fatal Stampede: King Mohammed VI Calls for ‘Strict Supervision’

Following the deadly stampede occured on Sunday, King Mohammed VI gave his instructions to the head of government and the relevant ministries to put in place “legal measures” to “strictly control the operations of appeal to public generosity and distribution of aid to the poor,” said a statement from the Ministry of the Interior on Monday.

This is the second royal release in less than two days. The king had previously urged the competent authorities to “take all measures to provide the necessary support and assistance to the families of the victims and the injured.”

An investigation was opened then under the supervision of the public prosecutor’s office to determine the causes of the incident that killed at least 15 people during the distribution of food aid in the municipality of Sidi Boulaalam in Essaouira province, the communique said, adding that the interior ministry has opened an administrative inquiry.

In the new statement, the Ministry of the Interior said that the culture of sharing is rooted in ancestral Moroccan traditions and has always been very present in Moroccan society, both at the level of the State, NGOs and individuals.

“The country is proud of the abundant dynamism of the associative tissue and it recognizes its beneficial action,” says the communique.

It is for this reason that the regulatory legal framework ordered by the Sovereign is “paramount” in order to preserve the secular tradition of solidarity and sharing and to guarantee security, notes the same source.

These beneficial actions “should not be carried out without a solid framework that guarantees the safety and the safeguarding of both beneficiary citizens and benefactors,” specifies the ministry.

In addition, and in accordance with the Royal guidelines on accountability and principles governing the relations between the administration and the citizens, the governor of the province of Essaouira will be heard by the courts as part of the judicial investigation, opened by the competent prosecutor, in strict compliance with the rule of law, concludes the statement.