Moroccan Royal Guard

History

The Royal Guard traces its origins to the former Black Guard ('Abid al-Bukhari). The 'Abid al-Bukhari was created on the orders of the Alawi sultan Moulay Ismail in 1699. It was a military corps of black slaves organized into permanent infantry and cavalry units. The corps was unofficially referred to as the "Black Guard" because its members were recruited from the Haratin, a black people from southern Morocco and/or originally from Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as from other black inhabitants of the region. The name 'Abid al-Bukhari () came from their practice of swearing their oaths of service upon a copy of the Sahih al-Bukhari, a famous collection of hadiths compiled by Muhammad al-Bukhari.

After Morocco gained its independence in 1956, the Haratines are no longer part of the Royal Guard.

Organization

The Guard is currently organized as a Regiment of 6,000 troops as follows;

• 4 Infantry Battalions, each of 25 officers and 1,000 troops.
• 2 Cavalry Squadrons.

Other Guard units

The King is always accompanied by units of the Royal Guard whenever he is on Moroccan soil. All members of the Royal Guard wear a red beret. Red full dress uniforms of traditional style (white in summer) are worn by both cavalry and infantry on ceremonial occasions.

The King is also protected by two other units of the Royal Moroccan Army. They are, however, not an official part of the Royal Guard. These are:

• The elite Parachute Brigade headquartered in Rabat (number of troops unknown).
• The Light Security Brigade of 2,000 troops.

Weapons

Rifles

• SAR-21
• M16A2
• FN FAL
• AK-47
• M4A1

Submachine guns

• Heckler & Koch MP5

Pistols

• Beretta 92FS

Machine Guns

• FN MAG
• AA-52

;Heavy machine gun

• M2 Browning
• ZPU-2

Rocket launchers

• RPG-7
• RPG-9

Anti-tank missiles

• BGM-71 TOW

Mortars

• L16 81mm Mortar
• M120 120 mm mortar

Self-propelled artillery

• M40 GMC

Combat vehicles

• Humvee

Former commanders

• General Mohamed Medbouh
• General Abdesalam Sefrioui

References

References

1. El Hamel, Chouki. (2002). "'Race', Slavery and Islam in Maghribi Mediterranean Thought: The Question of the Haratin in Morocco.". The Journal of North African Studies.
2. El Hamel, Chouki. (2006). "'Blacks and Slavery in Morocco: The Question of the Haratin at the End of the Seventeenth Century' in Diasporic Africa: A Reader.". NYU Press.
3. El Hamel, Chouki. (2013). "Black Morocco: A History of Slavery, Race, and Islam". Cambridge University Press.
4. Dalle, Ignace. (2011-03-09). "Hassan II:Entre tradition et absolutisme".
5. Mahjoub Tobji. (2006-09-13). "Les officiers de Sa Majesté:Les dérives des généraux marocains 1956-2006".