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When they boarded the plane in March, they never thought that their 15-day Mexico vacation would take such a turn. The couple left their one-year-old son in Morocco to spend some time off and enjoy Latin America, but the health crisis, the lockdown and the international travel ban implemented by Morocco and several other countries have turned their long-awaited vacation into a nightmare.
«We saved for so long for this trip», Adil Imenchal, a Moroccan entrepreneur currently stranded in Mexico with his wife, told Yabiladi. The couple were supposed to wrap up their stay in Latin America by March 22. But when the lockdown happened and borders got closed, they were forced to wait.
Running out of money and resources, the couple is mostly struggling to cope with being away from their toddler. «We left our one-year-old son with our housekeeper at home», the husband said.
While he is stranded thousands of kilometers away from home, the man said that he missed once-in-a life time moments in the life of his son. «When we left Morocco, our son was just crawling and while we are here he made his first steps, I wanted to be there with him and witness these precious moments», he regretted.
Sranded not very far from home
Awaiting the day he would have his son in his arms, Adil is in the same boat as Hassan El Bakkali, a Fnideq-based Moroccan who is stranded away from his four children.
While on a family visit to Spain, El Bakkali and his wife decided to stop over in Ceuta before returning to their children in Fnideq. The health crisis and the decision that followed the emergence of the virus, however, changed their plans at a moment when they were about to return home.
«Our four children stayed for ten days alone», the man told Yabiladi. «Their grandmother is currently with them and is taking care of them but that is not enough given the current situation», he regretted.
Staying at a family member’s house in Ceuta, the Fnideq parents see that it is unbearable to be separated from their children, especially as Ceuta is bordering their small town. «I am devastated whenever I think that my kids are just around the corner and I can’t cross this border to be with them», he argued.
«What hurts me more is that when I go on the roof I can see my house in Fnideq by the other side of the border», the father said sadly.
While missing their kids, the couple have to cope with the expenses of their forced stay in Ceuta. «Life here is very expensive», El Bekkali complained. «I borrowed money from everyone I know to cover my needs here», the father said.
Not very far from Ceuta, Soufiane and his wife are in the same situation. Their trip to southern Spain turned into a nightmare after they realized that they were unable to go back to Morocco and be with their one-year-and-a-half daughter.
«We left our daughter in Morocco and we are stranded here, fortunately her grandmother is looking after her», the young father told Yabiladi.
Like many other Moroccans stranded abroad, the young couple was surprised to learn that the borders were closing. Currently staying in Algeciras, their ten-day vacation got extended with no further notice. «We are staying in a hotel room provided by the Moroccan consulate», said Soufiane, calling for an urgent repatriation.
Desperate parents
While some of the stranded parents went on vacations leaving their children in Morocco, others were travelling abroad for business purposes. Driss, a Moroccan entrepreneur stranded in the Republic of Congo, is one of them.
The businessman was supposed to stay a couple of months in Brazzaville, the Congolese capital, to help a client launch his venture. But when the health crisis reached the Central African country, his plans were halted and he found himself stranded with few resources and no way of returning to his wife and kids.
«It has been two months and 14 days that I am not working and stranded here in Brazzaville with several other Moroccans», Driss told Yabiladi. «With no income and rent to pay, I am desperately waiting for a flight home to be with my family», he hoped.
While Driss is in Brazzaville, his wife and two kids are home alone with limited resources. «My son is three years old and my daughter is aged two, they are very young», he said, adding that «now and then [his] brother checks on them».
«Money-wise, and given the current situation, I call my partner in Morocco and ask him to send them money every now and then so they can survive this period without me», the father explained.
Driss is as desperate as Rachida, a mother who left her two daughters in Morocco while she was on a visit in Spain. The mother is currently stranded in France with her husband, as their two daughters are confined with their grandmother and aunt in Morocco.
«I left to spend a week in Barcelona but when I learned that the border was going to be closed, I went to France», she said. In theory, she was to return to Morocco to her two daughters, aged 8 and 7, on March 29.
«I am with my husband here in France, accommodated and fed, but I am not feeling good especially when thinking of my daughters», she said.
«My two daughters keep asking me when I will be back, when I have to reassure them I just lie because I myself don't know when I'm going back home», she regretted. The mother is saddened by the situation that prevents her from «fulfilling her duties as a mother». «My daughters are distance-learning and I have to be there for them and help them with their homework», she said with a sad voice.
While these parents have been waiting for their repatriation in vain, their children in Morocco are also desperately looking forward to the day they would see their beloved parents again. Their situation is added to that of thousands of other Moroccan stranded abroad and awaiting a flight home.
