2023-04-22 21:04:48
King Mohammed VI on Saturday appointed a new inspector general of the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces (FAR), the number two in the army, General Mohammed Berrid, in a context of regional tensions, according to a press release from the royal palace.
“His Majesty King Mohammed VI, kindly appointed Major General Mohammed Berrid Inspector General of the FAR, Commander of the Southern Zone, replacing Lieutenant General Belkhir El Farouk”, specifies the brief press release relayed by the MAP news agency.
No reason was disclosed for the replacement of General El Farouk but the latter appeared in a wheelchair during the transfer of power, which suggests that it is for medical reasons.
The 75-year-old had served as FAR inspector general and commander of the Southern Zone — which covers the disputed territory of Western Sahara — since mid-September 2021.
His successor, General Berrid, born in 1955, is a laureate of the Royal Military Academy, in armored vehicles, and “has a rich military experience of around 43 years in the field of force preparation and training”, indicates a press release from the general staff of the FAR.
Married and father of four children, he is a member of the Joint Defense College (CID) in France.
Mohammed Berrid had been in charge of joint coordination within the FAR staff since 2014.
According to the Moroccan Constitution, it is the sovereign who is the supreme commander of the armies and combines the functions of chief of staff.
The Moroccan army, being modernized, has about 310,000 soldiers and 150,000 reservists, according to the specialized site “Global Firepower”.
This change at the head of the FAR – announced on the day of the Eid el-Fitr holiday which marks the end of Ramadan – occurs in a climate of heightened rivalry and an arms race with neighboring Algeria.
At the heart of these tensions is the conflict in Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, which since 1975 has pitted Morocco against the separatist Polisario Front, supported by Algiers.
Morocco, which controls 80% of Western Sahara, is proposing an autonomy plan under its sovereignty for this desert territory of 266,000 km2 located north of Mauritania. The Polisario calls for a self-determination referendum.
Another bone of contention: military (drones, anti-aircraft defense systems) and security cooperation between Morocco and Israel, which has accelerated since their diplomatic normalization in December 2020.
The antagonism between the two Maghreb powers is also fueling an arms race.
The United States has just approved a contract for the sale of 18 Himars rocket launcher systems to Morocco, while the Algerian army depends mainly on Russian equipment.
Auteur: AFP – Seneweb.com
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