Anniversary of the painful “events of May 16”… Morocco continues to strengthen good security governance

Dr. Abdullah Boussouf, an expert in the humanities, said that the month of May is not only the month of celebrating Labor Day, repeating the demands of the working class, or organizing marches. Rather, the matter goes beyond that; It is a “security” month par excellence in which Moroccans commemorate the founding of the Royal Armed Forces on May 14 and the anniversary of the founding of the General Directorate of National Security on the 16th.

In an article published by Hespress entitled “The Anniversary of May 16…the Birth Certificate of Good Security Governance,” Boussouf recalled many royal speeches that established accumulations at the legal, constitutional, and legal levels, stating that they made “maintaining security a great, limitless, and unlimited responsibility.” In time or place. It is a great trust in all of us.”

The same academic stressed that “commemorating the twenty-first anniversary of the painful events of May 16, 2003, must remain a sign of Morocco’s vigilance, its drive for peace and tolerance, its opposition to extremism and fanaticism, and the steadfastness of its men in fighting organized and cross-border crime.”

Article text:

Entering the month of May in Morocco does not only mean celebrating Labor Day, repeating the demands of the working class, or organizing marches and rhetorical festivals, but it is much more than that. It is a “security” month par excellence in which Moroccans commemorate the founding of the Royal Armed Forces on May 14 and the anniversary of the founding of the General Directorate of National Security on May 16.

These are the agencies that ensured the security and stability of society in the face of hardened criminals at home and those lurking about the national and constitutional sanctities and Morocco’s image abroad. Therefore, it was natural that in order to disrupt security, public order, and general tranquility in the country, those who were watching over it must be attacked first, and this is what we have been seeing and reading for some time on hostile platforms, whether directly through the media mud brigade funded by Sonatrach, or through some “dogs.” “The stray” residing abroad and affiliated with Morocco.

But during the celebrations of May 16, 2003, tears will mix with blood, joy with screams, and hope with pain, as a group of “bastards” carried out a heinous terrorist attack that left innocent Moroccans and foreigners dead and wounded in different areas of the city of Casablanca, as they targeted the Moroccan model of religiosity, its moderate Maliki doctrine, its stability, and its tranquility.

It is the painful and treacherous incident that will immortalize a new image of the cohesion of the people and the throne in an unprecedented million-man march in the streets of Casablanca for peace, tolerance, and the fight against violence and fanaticism. It derived its spirit and philosophy from the Green March, at every treacherous attack on the nation’s constants and sanctities, as it triumphed for the slogans of the sacred Moroccan trilogy. That is, Islam, the Emirate of the Faithful, and the homeland.

With a strong royal speech on May 29, 2003, in which the Moroccan head of state deconstructs the implications of the terrorist incident and outlines the coordinates for confronting terrorism and extremism, its beginning was immediate instructions to control the situation and restore confidence in people, and by issuing Law No. 03/03 related to combating terrorism on May 28 of the same year, then Establishing an important legal arsenal, including laws to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.

Then the speech of April 30, 2004, in which the Commander of the Faithful established the stage of restructuring and renewing the religious field, and protecting Morocco from the tendencies of extremism and terrorism, by delivering it before the Supreme Scientific Council and the regional scientific councils, and what followed that of establishing new religious institutions or rehabilitating old ones and creating media channels that make From religion, Sharia, and the Maliki doctrine, the subject of its media material, then the launch of what was known as the series of reviews, and finally the constitutional stipulation of the Supreme Security Council in Article 54 of the 2011 Constitution.

But apart from this legal, constitutional and legal accumulation, which was inaugurated by His Majesty King Mohammed VI in the speech of the new concept of power in 1999 related to the consolidation of state authority and the pillars of the rule of law and the supremacy of the effective judiciary, which is a concept that, according to the March 2013 speech, was not a circumstantial measure for a passing stage or a category for consumption, Rather, it is a doctrine of governance marked by continuous implementation and permanent commitment to its spirit and its meaning, adds King Mohammed VI’s speech.

(With all of this) over the course of two decades, we have accumulated a new security culture and new security terminology, such as good security governance, proximity police, joint production of security, organizing open doors for security, the new and renewed concept of authority, openness to the media, openness of prison institutions, and other terms that belong to areas of sovereignty. Law, security, culture of human rights and democracy.

But all of these accumulations were the product of the contents of lofty royal speeches that made “maintaining security a great responsibility that has no limit, neither in time nor in place.” It is a great trust in all of us.” His Majesty adds: “Everyone is responsible when it comes to national issues.”

Because “there is no democracy without democrats,” as His Majesty the King said, there is no security without security people.

Therefore, many royal speeches praised the efforts and sacrifices of the security services and their effectiveness in anticipating and thwarting terrorist attempts despite the pressure and lack of capabilities. While His Majesty recommended empowering the security administration with the necessary human and material resources, he mentioned the necessity of dismantling the security administration and purifying it of everything that would harm its reputation and the great efforts made by its members in serving the citizens.

Today, when we see Morocco reaping the fruits of years of effort and construction in the field of security governance and the qualification of human resources and the infrastructure of the security services, under the personal supervision of the Moroccan Head of State, King Mohammed VI, during his historic visit to the headquarters of Al-Desti on April 24, 2018, and through the men of the security administration. Known for their competence in combating terrorism and cross-border crime, we are no longer surprised by the nominations of Mr. Abdel Latif Hamouchi, Director General of National Security and Territorial Surveillance (Desti), by many countries or his reception by senior security personnel in major European countries.

The man was seen on several occasions attending to the details of organizing international demonstrations, such as the 2022 Qatar World Cup, or the Casablanca derby matches, or while the city of Tangier was hosting the meeting of Arab police and security leaders in December 2023, or the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Marrakesh in October 2023. He also succeeded in December 2023 in Vienna, Austria, in submitting Morocco’s candidacy file to host the work of the 93rd session of the General Assembly of the Criminal Police (Interpol) in Marrakesh in 2025.

We emerged from the terrorist strike of May 16, 2003, stronger and more organized, whether at the institutional, legal, legal or educational levels. Thanks to the strength of the vision and foresight of His Majesty King Mohammed VI in the field of security governance and the fight against terrorism and extremism, Morocco has become one of the global pioneers in the field of cooperation. International security, which is what we see in external security reports and statements by international officials (America, Britain, Spain, Belgium, Austria, Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Qatar…), such as the French Minister of the Interior on his recent visit and his reception in Rabat by Mr. Hammouchi, awaiting arrangements for organizing the Paris Olympics in July 2024, as well as arrangements for the regulations. Protecting and anticipating the organization of the World Cup in Spain, Portugal and Morocco in 2030.

We have not yet reached the end of the road in eliminating terrorism and organized crime. Because “the security of Morocco is a national duty that does not accept exception and should not be the subject of empty conflicts or negligence in the performance of national duty, but rather requires positive competition in preserving the nation’s unity, security and stability,” says His Majesty the King, commemorating the twenty-first anniversary of the painful events of May 16 in the year 2024 It must remain a sign of Morocco’s vigilance, its drive for peace and tolerance, its opposition to extremism and fanaticism, and the steadfastness of its men in the fight against organized and cross-border crime.