Marruecos es el país más seguro del Magreb según el Global Terrorism Index 2022

Morocco is the North African country where terrorism has the least impact. This is one of the data that can be seen in the Global Terrorism Index 2022 (GTI), a study by the London-based think tank Institute for Economics and Peace, which ranks Morocco 76th in the world, well ahead of European countries such as Spain (55th). 

The ranking is headed by the countries worst hit by terrorist attacks, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia, which have led the ranking for years. 

Morocco's score in this analysis is 1,156 points, an improvement of two places compared to the previous year. This is well ahead of neighbouring Tunisia and Algeria, which are in 38th and 39th place, with 4,447 and 4,432 points respectively. 

In the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, Morocco maintains a level of anti-terrorist security second only to the Gulf countries, with Qatar in the lead. According to the data provided by the report, the MENA region has seen a slight improvement in terms of the impact of terrorism for the fourth consecutive year. Of the countries that make up the region in the eyes of the report, 16 have improved their scores and three have maintained their scores. The exception is Algeria, which saw an increase in attacks in 2021.

Nineteen years after the Casablanca attacks, the Kingdom of Morocco has carried out a profound transformation of its security and anti-terrorist policy, which is shown in this study. On 16 May 2003, five suicide attacks took place in Morocco's economic capital with specific targets: the business of a Jewish family, the Jewish cemetery of Casablanca and the Centre for Jewish Studies, the Belgian Consulate, the Farah Hotel and the Casa España restaurant.  As a result, 45 people were killed, including the attackers.

 A real slap in the face for Moroccan society and for the country's authorities, who have since worked to become the reference country in terms of security in the region. These efforts have led Morocco to become the main interlocutor of the United States and the European Union on counterterrorism security, not only for the Maghreb, but also for the Sahel. This reality has been materialised by the latest visit of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Rabat at the end of March 2022, who, in addition to strengthening relations with Israel, brought security cooperation to his meeting with Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. 

The GTI report highlights Morocco's efforts in a chapter by César Álvarez Velásquez of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Office (UNOCT). "Why Morocco's Counterterrorism Evolution Matters to Africa' outlines the important role Morocco plays not only for its own security, but also for that of its neighbours.

Álvarez Velásquez puts law 03.03, passed just two weeks after the Casablanca bombings, as the turning point in Rabat's approach to terrorism. "It became the first in a series of legislative reforms that improve the legal framework for the fight against terrorism in Morocco," the analyst says in the GTI report. This new legal framework, among other reforms, broadened the definition of terrorism and the scope of anti-terrorism laws to include propaganda, incitement, recruitment, radicalisation, etc. It also increased the penalties for perpetrators to a minimum of 10 years' imprisonment. 

Since 2003, Morocco has dismantled more than 200 terrorist cells and arrested more than 3,500 individuals in anti-terrorist operations. According to the source cited in the report, "Examining Extremism: Jama'at Nasr al-Islam Wal Muslimin", these achievements of Morocco's internal security, the Direction Génerale de la Sûreté Nationale (DGSN), would have prevented 300 terrorist actions. 

The Kingdom of Morocco has thus gone from being a 'security importer' to an 'exporter' in counterterrorism. Its participation in international security organisations is not that of a mere observer or beneficiary, but of a key contributor. It is a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, formed in 2014 at the behest of the United States to confront the terrorist group. Morocco is also co-chair of the Foreign Terrorist Fighter Working Group committee in the Global Counterterrorism Forum.

In Africa, since its return to the African Union, Morocco has taken control of the pan-African organisation's security commissions, and its technical expertise in this field is highly valued. Morocco has emerged as the main guarantor of security in the Sahel following political instabilities that push France out of the picture, as has happened in Mali. While the Moroccan kingdom is far from deploying French-style combat and training forces, it is a buffer between the Sahel and Europe, as well as a key intelligence partner.

DGSN, Morocco's spearhead against terrorism

The "Direction Génerale de la Sûrete Nationale", translated as General Directorate of National Security, is Morocco's main weapon in the fight against terrorism. After the Casablanca attacks, the DGSN was completely modernised and has been active since the end of the protectorate era. It is headed by Abdellatif Hammouchi, who before taking office was the head of the Direction de Surveillance du Territoire (DST), Morocco's intelligence service. 

Hammouchi, a career police officer, has articulated the DGSN from 2015 until now to become a terrible tool in the service of the fight against terrorism. Hammouchi has earned decorations and congratulations from the Makhzen as well as from the United States, France and Spain for his work at the head of the general directorate. In 2014, Mariano Rajoy's government awarded him the Red Distinctive Cross of Honour for Police Merit.