Auxiliary Forces

Following the Second World War, the post-war French Fourth Republic took control of the French protectorate in Morocco and, rather than releasing wounded goumiers or those who have reached retirement age, the French Army preferred to redeploy them in a subsidiary body. They performed odd jobs and assisted regular troops when needed. Officially named the mokhaznis, they were placed under the Ministry of Interior. Their missions were to suppress the various demonstrations and riots that shook the newly independent Morocco. In "time of peace," the mokhaznis provided security for official buildings and assisted in the delivery of mail in remote regions.

In 1971 and 1972, King Hassan II survived two coup attempts initiated by rebel military factions, which formed a climate of distrust evident between the monarchy and the army. This climate encouraged the growing strength of the police and the revival of the Auxiliary, put on hold since independence. The king personally nominated two senior members of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces to head the Auxiliary Forces in 1974. The Auxiliary Forces were designated to lead in the maintenance of order and quick restoration of order in affected areas. The Auxiliary Forces were given a special status and a budget of nine billion centimes (a fortune at the time). Two-thirds of the force were virtually incapable of military service due to age and or health reasons, the King had to recruit again and rebuild the whole force, "recalls one officer who served at that time. There was no shortage of candidates but they needed to be disciplined and healthy. Initial recruitment was conducted primarily in the regions of Ouarzazate and Errachidia. The king then created two areas of operation, North and South. In 1975, the Auxiliary Forces were at the front of the Green March.

In the prefectures, much of the administrative Makhzen is available to the mayors and governors. They are found today at the entrance of buildings and doors of important people. They do everything, for example, they serve tea, introduce guests, collect the mail, track vendors and chase children playing soccer near the recently renovated public parks by the municipality.

When not used at events or in the prefectures and wilayas, the Auxiliary Forces are assigned to border surveillance. Along the Mediterranean coast to the north, then along the berm to the south and south-west, several units of mobile Auxiliary Forces stand guard. In the early 90s, the units stationed north gained importance, since Morocco embarked on the fight against illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Personnel posted to monitor the border is risen from 3000 in 1992 to 4,500 in 2004. Morocco is under a lot of pressure from the European Union to combat drug trafficking. In 2001, Spanish television showed a member of the Auxiliary Forces loading their drug cargo and then pushing their boat to the sea.

A candidate for the Auxiliary Forces must meet the following conditions:[4]

• Have Moroccan nationality;
• Be single and at least 18 and at most 24 years old;
• Have a clean criminal record;
• Height greater than 1.70m for men and 1.65m for women;
• Have the qualifying secondary school level or holder of a professional qualification diploma for Mokhazni students, and holder of a baccalaureate certificate for Moussaidin students;
• Have a total visual power of at least 16.

General Laanigri, former head of the DGSN, was appointed the head of the Auxiliary Forces. He was charged with modernizing the Auxiliary Forces and preparing them to assume new missions. Following his installation as the Inspectorate General located in Rabat, he created a third operational area that would extend to the borders of Agadir Mauritania. "The geographical distribution that exists today was adopted in 1974. At that time, the Sahara was not yet safe in the geography. Today the region accounts for nearly one-third of the national territory. Creating a third area is therefore obvious, "said a commander of the Auxiliary Forces. Since the end of the 1990s, nearly 6,000 Auxiliary Forces men are stationed along the berm or in the barracks in the south. The Sahara is still a sensitive area where law enforcement is a major challenge.

Another challenge to General Laânigri, like all security officials of the country: the fight against terrorism. Last year, Cherki Drais, the newly appointed head of the DGSN, requested reinforcements for Laânigri. Thus, joint patrols of police and auxiliary forces of elements have emerged in major cities. Between officers of FA, there is even talk of preparing a new status for their bodies, with new missions and new ways (including weapons and dogs). According to cross the Mobile Intervention Unit (the famous CMI) should be dissolved in the DGSN, to be replaced by units of the Auxiliary Forces. "The units to be trained at the highest level insists this specialist in military matters. Since Morocco is recycle the body of FA as much to do in depth. An element of the FA should be perfectly versatile to intervene with gendarmes, police, military, customs or brigades of Water and Forests. " According to some of his collaborators, Laânigri floor on the thorny issue of image mroud. Further held, communication campaign, training abroad ..."None of these tracks is excluded", they say within the Inspectorate General.

Auxiliary Forces are equipped with machine guns PAMAS G1, MAS 36, MAT 49, MAC 24/29, AK-47 and FN MAG, and armed armored vehicle 32 UR 416 and Panhard AML 60.

The Moroccan Auxiliary Forces took delivery of 88 Lenco BearCat armored vehicles in riot control, troop transport, communications, convoy protection, and SWAT variants. [5]

• General Inspector (named by the King)
• Chief Inspector (Inspecteur principal)
  • Chief 1st Class
  • Chief 2nd Class
  • Chief 3rd Class
• Inspector
  • 1st Class
  • 2nd Class
  • 3rd Class

• Moussaidin
  • Moussaid Chief 1st Class
  • Moussaid Chief 2nd Class
  • Moussaid 1st Class
  • Moussaid 2nd Class

• Mokhaznis
  • Brigadier-Chef
  • Brigadier
  • Mokhazni

• Article at Telquel-online

• (in French, Spanish, and English) Portail national du Maroc