(right) in 1956 After World War II, in 1949, Oufkir joined the military cabinet of
Raymond Duval and interpreter. After independence, he was appointed a high-ranking officer in the
Royal Moroccan Armed Forces. Oufkir became the right-hand man of
Hassan II during the 1960s and regime strongman "willing and able to employ all means necessary to repress dissent and ensure the stability and supremacy of the regime" according to historian Bruce Maddy-Weitzman. In the early years of Morocco's independence, his nominal boss was the
interior minister, . He was appointed the director of the
Sûreté Nationale in 1960 to control dissidents and reorganise the military. He had a close relationship with the
CIA during this period and was the main architect for relations with
French intelligence and for the forging of ties between
Israel and Morocco. He visited Israel in 1964 to observe the security arrangements of a papal visit which convinced him that Israel could assist him with palace security in Rabat. During the late 50s and throughout the 60s, Oufkir was involved in the systematic and brutal repression of political opponents like the leaders of the armed resistance and
Moroccan Liberation Army along with prominent leftists. He did so through killing, arbitrary detainment and forced disappearances. His main torture centre was in the former palace of Moqri. He oversaw the repression of the
1965 Casablanca riots. Under him, army and police were sent to take action against the rioters which led to 400 deaths. From his helicopter, he directed the suppression and allegedly personally machine-gunned rioters in Casablanca. These riots ended up in a state of emergency with a 5-year suspension of the constitution and subsequent rule by decree. The French government issued arrest warrants for him and in 1967 a French court sentenced Oufkir to life imprisonment
in absentia. French president
Charles de Gaulle also accused Oufkir of being responsible which led to tensions straining between Morocco and France until De Gaulle left the
French presidency. Initially, Hassan defended Oufkir and called De Gaulle's position "intolerable". However, after the
1972 coup, Hassan claimed, in his memoirs, he had no involvement in Ben Barka's disappearance and that it was a
fait accompli by Oufkir. After the
failed 1971 military coup, Hassan II appointed Oufkir as defense minister and chief of staff of the
Royal Armed Forces. Oufkir associates where appointed minister of interior and minister of agriculture and development. Oufkir was granted full military and civilian powers by Hassan and tasked with reorganising the army and securing their loyalty by safeguarding against further coup attempts. There were also suspicions that Oufkir even had connections with the coup plotters.
1972 Moroccan coup attempt and death Oufkir was accused of plotting the 1972 Moroccan coup attempt against
King Hassan II alongside two other high ranking air forces, one of whom being
Mohamed Amekrane. The
USFP were also said to be involved with
Fqih Basri fleeing to Algeria. The official narrative, first given by the interior minister
Mohamed Benhima and later Hassan II, claimed that the general had committed suicide first "out of shame of his failure to protect the king" and later because his complicity was revealed. However, his daughter,
Malika Oufkir, writing in her book
Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail, claimed to have seen five bullet wounds in her father's body, all in positions not consistent with suicide. These bullets at the back of his head made this alleged suicide come to be known as an "acrobatic suicide". One version of his death claims that Oufkir returned to the palace to reported to the king that he put down the rebellion, arresting most of the culprits. However, after being informed by
Ahmed Dlimi and that the king suspected him of being the chief instigator of the coup attempt, he exploded in a fury, pulled out his gun and then was shot dead in the struggle. Hassan II, during a press conference held on 21 August, described Oufkir as a scheming traitor which helped to create the black legend around him. He died on 16 August 1972 He is buried in Ain Chair. According to Amekrane, Oufkir, in a meeting in late November 1971, spoke about "the physical elimination of the sovereign" expressing concern about contacts between the palace and the political opposition warning how "uncontrolled elements" could seize power with the help of outside forces and stressing how the armed forces were the guarantee of stability. The orientalist
Robin Bidwell points out how it is strange how Oufkir wasn't involved with the 1971 coup in hindsight. Furthermore, Oufkir was already very powerful unlikely to have cared about the trappings of the King and if he was involved in the coup, it would be unlikely for him to fail. Bidwell argues that it is probable that the Court seized the opportunity to get rid of an over-mighty servant whose continuance in office led to loss in foreign aid. == Views ==