On the instructions of King Mohammed VI, Chief of General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), Morocco established a new military zone in the east of the country on January 5, close to the Kingdom’s border with Algeria.
Until now, Morocco had only one military zone, the South Zone, which was established due to the specific context of the country’s southern provinces, in Western Sahara.
The launch of the new zone was announced in the FAR magazine’s 407th issue. The launch ceremony took place on January 5, in Errachidia under the chairmanship of Lieutenant General Belkhir El Farouk, Inspector General of the FAR and Commander of the Southern Zone.
Major General Mohamed Miqdad was assigned “first commander of the eastern zone.”
The article in the FAR review states that Major General Mohamed Miqdad “has to his credit a wealth of experience in the conduct of military operations.”
The article also specifies that this ceremony of taking command “constitutes an opportunity to recall the mission devolved to the command of the eastern zone and its hierarchical position within the FAR.”
The creation of this entity “aims to ensure the consistency of the command, control and support of the region, with both air and maritime components of the FAR, necessary for the accomplishment of the various missions,” read the report.
Morocco has established a military zone on the eastern border with Algeria, the first time it has taken a strategic decision from a military point of view.
This indicates a development in the lack of trust between the two countries due to the crisis between them, which has reached the beating of war drums.
The new western military zone will see the generalization of the national defense system and military living, extending along the Moroccan-Algerian border, whose length is approximately 1,559 km.
Under the decision, permanent military units and residential communities will be created under FAR and the rule of military law in some cases.
Morocco’s military zone in Western Sahara resulted from the dispute over the region back in the early 90s.
It is called the southern military region and includes the Sahara and undisputed Moroccan lands, as its leadership is stationed in the city of Agadir.
Abdelali El Hor, a Moroccan military expert, told Hespress EN that the new zone “is part of a restructuring of the Moroccan army, aimed at securing the country’s borders and territories.”
In a statement to Hespress EN, El Hor explained that this move comes after “a number of security incidents that occurred in the region, to which Morocco is responding through the strengthening of its military presence in the area and reinforcing its eastern border security.”
In the new eastern military region, the army is set to assume civilian and military tasks, namely combating cross-border crime, smuggling, and illegal immigration, and in particular, strengthening capabilities to defend Morocco’s territorial integrity.
The expert referred to the recent Figuig incident, where Algerian authorities expropriated agriculture lands owned by Moroccan farmers in the region, along with “multiple Algerian military aggressions.”
“In addition to attempting to counter the goods and fuel smuggling that occurs in the region, the FAR’s move is also aimed at preventing possible arms smuggling, human trafficking and securing the Kingdom’s borders from possible threats.”
Our source adds that “this falls perfectly within Morocco’s rights to secure its territory, especially after Algerian forces had intensified military presence along its border with Morocco in the last 2 years.”
When asked about the possible escalation that may result from such a move, El Hor told Hespress EN that “Morocco is preparing for the worst-case scenarios, out of caution, but that a military escalation remains unlikely.”
According to the expert, “the country is perfectly within its internationally recognized rights to protect its uncontested borders, its national security interests, and can’t remain unresponsive to eastern provocations.”
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