Increased co-operation between Libya and Morocco could help jobless citizens.
By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat
![[AFP/Abdelhak Senna] Moroccans fled Libya in the wake of the revolution, but many now say they hope to go back.](http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/images/2012/08/24/120824Feature3Photo1.jpg)
[AFP/Abdelhak Senna] Moroccans fled Libya in the wake of the revolution, but many now say they hope to go back.
While Moroccans working in Europe are coming home to escape the financial crisis, those who once worked in Libya are now returning, especially now that Libyan officials have promised assistance.
Many Moroccans who left after the outbreak of the Libyan revolution want to go back now that the country is stable again. Ahlam Chenbouti told Magharebia about her husband Issam, who wants to go back to Benghazi where he worked before in order to find a new job.
“After he came back to Morocco, he struggled to find a job and after several long months of being out of work, he has decided to return to Libya. When he gets settled in there, I will join him, especially since Libyan officials recently pledged to help Moroccans,” she said.
During an official visit by a Libyan delegation to Morocco August 7th-8th, Libyan Labour Minister Mustafa Rugibani told journalists that his country had opened its doors to Moroccan workers and wanted to improve their working conditions and ensure that their rights were respected.
A similar message was given by his Moroccan counterpart, Abdelouahed Souhail. Moroccan workers can play a part in the economic and social development of the new Libya, he said.
Libyan officials and Moroccan diplomats in Libya will partner for a new local body to deal with visa issues, cases of missing or detained Moroccans, or property of Moroccans lost during the Libyan revolution.
Meanwhile, Moroccans living in Europe are starting to return to their home country because of the economic crisis. The Minister Delegate for Moroccans Living Abroad, Abdellatif Maazouz, said that the impact of the situation on overseas Moroccans was particularly visible in Spain.
Maazouz said that the ministry does not currently have any reliable means of knowing whether citizens are coming back for good or whether they are coming back just for the holidays.
The minister delegate added that support mechanisms have been put in place to help those who want to invest in Morocco, buy a home or send their children to school after returning to Morocco permanently.
Magharebia met one overseas Moroccan who has decided to come home. Slimane Chtibi, who is 46, lived in Spain for fifteen years. He lost his job a year ago and was unable to find work elsewhere. He tried his luck in France, but was unsuccessful. As a result, he has decided to return to Morocco to invest in a “little project” instead of using up all his savings in an attempt to find a job abroad.
“I’ve got no choice. After I’d spent ten years working for a Spanish company, they laid me off and gave me a redundancy payment of just 7,000 euros. Since then, I’ve been unable to find another job. I hope that here in Morocco I will be helped to implement my project without any problems,” he said.
