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| Auxiliary Forces | |
|---|---|
| القوات المساعدة | |
 | |
| Motto | God,Homeland,King |
| Founded | 1 July 1946 |
| Service branches | Provincial Guard General Intervention Support Units |
| Website | https://recrutement.fa.gov.ma |
| Leadership | |
| Supreme Commander | Mohammed VI |
| Minister of Interior | Abdelouafi Laftit |
| Inspector General | -Mustapha Hdioud(Southern Division) -Khalid Jabran(Northern Division) |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 18-24 years |
| Active personnel | 45,000 |
TheGeneral Inspectorate of Auxiliary Forces (Arabic:القوات المساعدة,romanized: alquwaat almusa'ida) is a security and military institution inMorocco, under the supervision of theMinistry of Interior. It has an important role in ensuring security throughout the territory of the Kingdom.[1]
Additionally, they contribute to maintaining internal order, acting as aborder watch, and are the main backup force for firefighters during forest fires. During theYears of Lead, custody facilities such asTazmamart andAgdz were mainly operated by elements of the auxiliary forces.
The Auxiliary forces are a continuation of a low-rank military unit composed ofSenegalese Tirailleurs andGoumiers, used by the French during the protectorate area, to repress Moroccans.[2] Since the officialFrench police patrolled only in the European area, this unit was responsible for maintaining order in the Moroccan neighbourhoods.
Auxiliary forces have an important role in establishing security throughout the Kingdom, so they :
Auxiliary Forces are organized as follows:
Following the Second World War, the post-warFrench Fourth Republic took control of theFrench protectorate in Morocco and, rather than releasing woundedgoumiers or those who have reached retirement age, theFrench Army preferred to redeploy them in a subsidiary body. They performedodd jobs and assisted regular troops when needed. Officially named themokhaznis, 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 theRoyal 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 billioncentimes, which represented an important sum then. 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 ofOuarzazate andErrachidia. The king then created two areas of operation, North and South.
When war broke out in the Sahara in 1976, the Auxiliary Forces were once again at the forefront. They were armed only with a locally manufactured version of theBeretta M3 sub-machine guns and received very little combat training[3] and were confined by higher to their isolated bases in the middle of the desert and prevented from changing location.[3] Consequently, they were easy prey for thePolisario fighters, and whole companies of them were slaughtered and captured.[3]
In fact, the Moroccan army supreme command allegedly underestimated the strength of the enemy. The Forces, serving under the army officers acted as scouts, camp guards and support troops. From 1982, the Auxiliary Forces garrisons stationed at the Sahara participated, alongside the army, in the construction of the wall of defense. Later, they operated and secured prisons likeKelaat mgoun orAgdz. Several years after the 1991 cease-fire, the Forces remained essential in the management of the Sahara issue. In the mid-'90s, King Hassan II decided to give the region its first football team, he went to the local Auxiliary Forces. Founded in 1978, the Auxiliary Forces of Settat is better known as Bir Baouch, named after a village near Settat. In 1983, the team was transferred to mroud Benslimane before being called again in 1995 the Youth Sports Al Massira, the team that is now the Sahara in the national football championship.
In the northern part of the kingdom, during theYears of Lead, the khaki-uniformed Auxiliary Forces were seen as a force of repression. InFes,Nador andCasablanca, the Auxiliary Forces were accused of being responsible for several atrocities. Unlike the military, Auxiliary Forces barracks are typically located in the city center. They can be mobilized by the Governor or the Inspector General.[citation needed]
By the early 80s, the Auxiliary Forces were hated by the population. They represented the authority in its most abusive, more brutal form. In addition to the repression of demonstrations, the Auxiliary Forces remained close and had daily contact with the street. They were everywhere: in thesouks, the prefectures, hospitals, post offices, stadiums and even at the entrance of cinemas. Simply put, they were an essential part of the state surveillance / repression apparatus.
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In the prefectures, much of the administrative Makhzen is available to the mayors and governors. They are found today throughout Moroccan cities, often at the entrance of local administrations such as prefectures, but in strategic places such as busy streets and public gatherings where order must prevail.
When not stationed at events or in the prefectures and wilayas, the Auxiliary Forces are assigned to border surveillance. Along theMediterranean coast to the north, then along theberm 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. Recently,Morocco has employed important efforts to combat drug trafficking, in cooperation with strategic partners, such as theEuropean Union.
A candidate for the Auxiliary Forces must meet the following conditions:[4]
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General Laanigri, former head of theDGSN, 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 AgadirMauritania. "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 theDGSN, 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).
Auxiliary Forces are equipped withPAMAS G1,MAS 36,MAT 49,MAC 24/29,AK-47 andFN MAG, and armed armored vehicle 32UR 416 andPanhard AML 60.
The Moroccan Auxiliary Forces took delivery of 88Lenco BearCat armored vehicles in riot control, troop transport, communications, convoy protection, and SWAT variants.[5]
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