“Morocco is a key player in the fight against terrorism, not only because the Moroccan security forces regularly carry out successful operations, but also because, since 2003, the Kingdom has developed a multidimensional approach to counter terrorism,” he told MAP, in the wake of the arrest in recent days by the Moroccan security services of several terrorists linked to Daesh for their involvement in acts already committed or which were likely to be committed.
The Moroccan approach is based on five key pillars, two of which are directly effective in the field of prevention, said Chauprade, adding that the first is religious, because by promoting a moderate, tolerant and open Sunni Islam, backed by the institution of the Commandery of the Faithful, “the Moroccan state pulling the rug out from underneath the feet of those who advocate an aggressive approach turned to violence.”
The second preventive pillar is the work undertaken on the socio-economic field, noted the French expert in geopolitics, underlining that sensitizing young people from disadvantaged backgrounds is a “real success in Morocco”.
Regarding the security and legal component, Chauprade, author in 2019 of the book ”Geopolitics of a King, Essay on a modern and multipolar Morocco”, emphasizes that the Kingdom has “understood very early that the dispersion between compartmentalized skills and the ‘chapel quarrels ‘ constituted a danger for the fight against terrorism.
The Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) established in March 2015 has brought together the actions of different departments and stakeholders, he added.
The criminal code was also tightened in 2015 with regard to terrorist offenses, he noted, arguing that the 2011 Constitution has significantly increased the rule of law and the defense of human rights in Morocco, with the creation of “several institutions and tools”, including the National Council for Human Rights, the Ombudsman and the Interministerial Delegation for Human Rights.
Finally, the fifth and not least pillar is international cooperation, said the geopolitologist, adding that with the United States, but also with several countries of the European Union, Morocco has increased its cooperation in the fight against terrorism, with more intelligence sharing, but also more joint reflection to act together.
Co-Chair of the Global Counter-Terrorism Forum (GCTF), Morocco has developed with the Netherlands the Hague-Marrakech Memorandum on Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTF), he said, recalling that the Kingdom and the European Union have agreed to establish an initiative under the GCTF on “education to prevent and combat violent extremism leading to terrorism.”
