Twenty months. This is how Lieutenant General Belkhir El Farouk’s “term” as number two in the Moroccan army lasted – the first being the king himself. Appointed by Mohammed VI, on September 15, 2021, Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), a strategic role he combined with that of commander of the southern zone, he has just been replaced by General Mohammed Berrid.
Trained as a tanker, with extensive experience in the field and skills recognized by his peers, this major general born in 1955 and little known to the general public was received by the Sovereign, Supreme Leader and Chief of Staff of the FAR, in the afternoon of Saturday, April 22nd – Eid el-Fitr day in Morocco – at the Royal Palace of Casablanca.
No advertisements made by O Ministry of the Royal House, Protocol and Chancellery, as in the concise report broadcast on the national network, no official reason was given to explain this change at the head of the Moroccan army.
Suffering, Belkhir El Farouk decorated by Mohammed VI
However, the appearance of General Belkhir El Farouk in a wheelchair that same day during a brief audience with the monarch – during which he decorated him with the Grand Cordon of Wissam El Arch (Order of the Throne)” in consideration of his distinguished professional career and the commendable services they have provided in the service of the Throne and the Fatherland”, indicates the statement released by the MAP agency -, suggests that health reasons are at the origin of this imperative that is much shorter than most its predecessors, from Abdelaziz Bennani to Bouchaib Arroub via Abdelfattah Louarak.
“We should in no way see in this change any denial from General Belkhir El Farouk, as, in this period marked by the worsening of regional tensions, he brilliantly managed a series of delicate situations such as the blockade of Guerguerate by Polisario militiamen, underlines an expert military. Furthermore, it stood out as a key interlocutor in military alliances with the United States and Israel. And to add: “Otherwise, he would not have been awarded the Grand Cordon of the Wissam El Arch, which is the highest distinction of this category of Alawite Wissam awarded to people who have distinguished themselves through their merits or public services. or military. »
According to sources close to the now 75-year-old former inspector general of the FAR, it is himself who asked to be relieved of his duties. A request that King Mohammed VI acceded to by appointing Major General Mohammed Berrid.
Further modernization of the army
Born in El Kbab, near Khenifra, graduated from the Royal Military Academy, armored category, Mohammed Berrid will be responsible for continuing the Moroccan army's vast strategy project started in recent years. Work to which this soldier contributed, having passed through the Inter-Army Defense College (CID), in France, and having a master's degree in national defense.
During the forty-three years he spent at La Grande Muette, Major General Mohammed Berrid held various positions of responsibility in the field, namely with the 3rd and 4th Royal Tank Regiment, in the Mahbes area, in the Sahara. He then served as a staff officer “in the field of training and employment of forces” at the Armored Training Center (CIT) in Meknes and the General Staff College (EEM) in Kenitra. Before directing, from 2014, the 3rd office of the General Staff of the FAR – exactly like Bouchaib Arroub, inspector general of the Moroccan army from 2014 to 2017, who would have been one of his mentors, as a military expert said Moroccan young Africa.
General Berrid was responsible for military training and intelligence, but also for the acquisition of armaments. Missions in which this discreet man, married and father of four children, stood out. After becoming colonel-major in 2015, he was elevated to the rank of general in 2019, receiving the medal of Officer of the Order in Throne.
