View source for Mohamed Oufkir

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Short description|Moroccan politician and military officer}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[General]]
| image               = Mohamed Oufkir (cropped).jpg
| caption             = Oufkir in 1971
| birth_date          = 16 August 1920
| birth_place         = near [[Bouarfa, Morocco|Bouarfa]], [[Morocco]]
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1972|8|16|1920|5|14}}
| death_place         = [[Skhirat]], Morocco
| known_for           = [[Forced disappearance]] of [[Mehdi Ben Barka]], [[1972 Moroccan coup attempt]]
| children            = 6 including [[Malika Oufkir|Malika]]
| nationality         = [[Morocco|Moroccan]]
| office              = Minister of Defense
| monarch             = [[Hassan II]]
| term_start          = 1971
| term_end            = 1972
| primeminister       = [[Mohammed Karim Lamrani]]
| primeminister2      = 
| rank                = [[General]]
| battles             = {{tree list}}
* [[World War II]] 
** [[Italian campaign (World War II)|Italian campaign]]
* [[First Indochina War]]
* [[Rif revolt]]
* [[Sand War]]
{{tree list/end}}
| allegiance          = {{flagicon|France}} France<br>{{flagicon|Morocco}} Morocco
| office1             = [[Ministry of Interior (Morocco)|Minister of Interior]]
| monarch2            = 
| termend2            = 
| termstart2          = 
| successor1          = {{Ill|Ahmed Benbouchta|fr|Ahmed Benbouchta}}
| successor2          = 
| predecessor1        = {{Ill|Abderrahmane El Khatib|fr|Abderrahmane El Khatib}}
| predecessor2        = 
| predecessor         = [[Mohamed Meziane]]
| successor           = ''Position abolished''
| primeminister1      = [[Ahmed Bahnini]]<br>[[Mohamed Benhima]]<br>[[Ahmed Laraki]]
| termstart1          = 1964
| termend1            = 1971
| monarch1            = Hassan II
| party               = [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| branch              = {{army|France}}<br>{{armed forces|Morocco}}
| nickname            = Butcher of the [[Rif]]
| education           = [[Meknes Royal Military Academy]]
| partner             = 
| resting_place       = {{Interlanguage link|Ain Chair|fr|Aïn Chaïr}}
| father              = Muhammad ibn Kaddur Oufkir
}}

[[General]] '''Mohamed Oufkir''' ({{langx|ar|محمد أوفقير|Muḥammad Ūfqīr}}{{lrm}};{{efn|also transliterated as '''Ufkir''' and '''Oufqir'''<ref>{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://archive.org/details/arabsberbersfrom0000unse/page/446/mode/2up?q=oufqir |title=Arabs and Berbers: From Tribe to Nation in North Africa |last2= |first2= |date=1972 |publisher=[[Lexington Books]] |isbn=978-0-669-83865-7 |editor-last=Gellner |editor-first=Ernest |editor-link=Ernest Gellner |pages=446 |language=en |editor-last2=Micaud |editor-first2=Charles Antoine |editor-link2=Charles Micaud}}</ref>}} 16 August 1920 − 16 August 1972) was a [[Morocco|Moroccan]] senior military officer who held many important governmental posts like the [[Ministry of Interior (Morocco)|minister of interior]] and minister of defense. Throughout the 60s, he rose to become the regime's strongman having a close relationship with [[Hassan II of Morocco]] and was partly responsible for the suppression of political opposition and riots. It is believed that he was involved in the [[Ben Barka affair]] and that he was assassinated for his alleged role in the failed [[1972 Moroccan coup attempt]]. 

==Early life and military career==
Mohamed Oufkir was born on 16 August 1920<ref name=":16" /> in the [[Ait Seghrouchen]] village of {{Interlanguage link|Ain Chair|fr|Aïn Chaïr}}, in the [[Tafilalt]] region, the stronghold of [[High Atlas]] [[Berbers]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Oufkir |first=Malika |author-link=Malika Oufkir |url= |title=Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail |title-link=Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail |last2=Fitoussi |first2=Michele |author-link2=Michèle Fitoussi |date=2001-04-11 |publisher=Miamax |isbn=978-0-7868-6732-5 |pages=14-15 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":11">{{Cite book |last=Ilahiane |first=Hsain |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Historical_Dictionary_of_the_Berbers_Ima/aRYuDgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oufkir%20historical%20dictionary&pg=PA161&printsec=frontcover |title=Historical Dictionary of the Berbers (Imazighen) |date=2017-03-27 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |isbn=978-1-4422-8182-0 |pages=161-162 |language=en}}</ref> or the [[Central Atlas Tamazight|Berber]]-speaking village of [[Boudenib]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Maddy-Weitzman |first=Bruce |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Berber_Identity_Movement_and_the_Cha/RTiUCgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover&bsq=oufkir |title=The Berber Identity Movement and the Challenge to North African States |date=2011-05-01 |publisher=[[University of Texas Press]] |isbn=978-0-292-72587-4 |pages=93-94 |language=en}}</ref> The name Oufkir means "the impoverished" according to his daughter [[Malika Oufkir|Malika]].<ref name=":0" />

His father was Muhammad ibn Kaddur Oufkir who belonged to the Awlad Oufkir (Ait u Faqir) lineage which was the largest lineage of the larger of two clans in Ain Chair. He was the richest man in the oasis between [[Figuig]] and the [[Ziz River|Ziz valley]] and he sought peace with the French acting as intermediary between the French army and unsubmitted tribes. Despite being unknown in the eyes of the ''[[makhzen]]'' and lacking in power before the [[French protectorate in Morocco|protectorate]], Ibn Kaddur was regarded as the most important political figure in the region by [[Hubert Lyautey]] who valued his ruthlessness and loyalty to the French army. Before the protectorate, he wanted support from the French in becoming commander over Ain Chair as well as over the local tribes of [[Beni Guil]], Awlad al-Nasir, and [[Ait Seghrouchen]]. He was unable to get this support until the start of the protectorate when he was appointed [[Pasha]] of Boudenib. He served until his death in 1936 and his sons and kinsmen continued to hold ''[[qaid]]''-ships and other positions in the south east of Morocco until the 1970s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dunn |first=Ross E. |author-link=Ross E. Dunn |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Routledge_Library_Editions_World_Empires/XEY3EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Muhammad%20ibn%20Kaddur%20Oufkir&pg=RA3-PA240&printsec=frontcover |title=Resistance in the Desert: Moroccan Responses to French Imperialism 1881-1912 |date=2018-05-01 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-351-00005-5 |pages=239-242 |language=en}}</ref> According to Malika Oufkir, his name was Ahmed.<ref name=":0" /> 

Oufkir studied at the [[Collège d'Azrou|Berber College of Azrou]] near [[Meknes]]. In 1939, he entered the [[Meknes Royal Military Academy|Military Academy of Dar El Beida]], and in 1941, he enlisted as a reserve lieutenant in the [[French Army]].<ref name=":1" />

He enrolled in the [[French Army]] in 1939 and served during [[World War II]] in 1944 on the [[Italian campaign (World War II)|Italian front]]. In 1947, he fought in the [[First Indochina War]] in the [[French Far East Expeditionary Corps]] where his bravery was dubbed "legendary". In 1949 he was promoted captain and named to the [[Legion of Honour]].<ref name=":16" /><ref name="smith">{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Stephen |author-link=Stephen Smith (journalist) |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Oufkir_un_destin_marocain/hBS16VRQJoUC?hl |title=Oufkir un destin marocain |date=2014-04-01 |publisher=[[Calmann-Lévy]] |isbn=978-2-7021-4830-3 |language=fr |quote=Elle sera récompensée par la Silver Star américaine, avec étoile d'argent, que lui remet « pour son courage et son sang-froid au feu » le chef d'état-major du général Clark, le major-général Gruenther. Lors de la prise de Casano Lucignano, Casano di Sotta, Monte Molini et Vernoune, la section d'Oufkir est détachée comme soutien d'un groupement blindé mixte, franco-américain. Dans la nuit du 10 au 11 juillet 1944 à La Staggia, au nord de Sienne, le sous-lieutenant est blessé au bras droit - à la hauteur du biceps – par un éclat d'obus. Saignant abondamment, il organise la défense avant de se faire évacuer. Ce qui lui vaudra une proposition d'avancement au grade de lieutenant, entérinée le  25 septembre, une palme à sa croix de guerre et une Légion d'honneur,  que cet « exemple de baroudeur-né » recevra en juin 1946}}</ref>

== Political career ==
{{See also|Years of Lead (Morocco)}}[[File:Mohamed_Oufkir_and_Prince_Moulay_Hassan.png|left|thumb|Mohamed Oufkir (left) and [[Hassan II of Morocco|Crown Prince Moulay Hassan]] (right) in 1956]]
After WW2, in 1949, Oufkir joined the military cabinet of [[Raymond Duval]]<ref name=":16" /> whom he became [[aide-de-camp]] to.<ref name=":1" /> In 1953, he became the assistant of [[Augustin Guillaume]] who was the [[List of French residents-general in Morocco|Resident-General of Morocco]] then. He was involved in the negotiations for the return of [[Mohammed V of Morocco|Mohammed V]]<ref name=":16" /> and had the task of putting pressure on [[Mohammed Ben Aarafa]] to abdicate.<ref name=":2" /> When Mohammed returned from exile, Oufkir effectively became Mohammed V's aide-de-camp<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pennell |first=C. R. |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Morocco/Mhy9DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=Morocco: From Empire to Independence |date=2013-10-01 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-78074-455-1 |pages=161 |language=en}}</ref> and interpreter.<ref>{{harvnb|Pennell|2000|p=|pp=290-291|ref=}}</ref> After independence, he was appointed a high-ranking officer in the [[Royal Moroccan Armed Forces]].<ref name=":16" />

During the [[1958 Rif riots]], Oufkir was [[Hassan II of Morocco|Crown Prince Hassan]]'s close associate and served as the head of the secret services. Both were involved with the suppression of the revolt which resulted in the collective punishment of the [[Rif]]. This included expropriation, crop-burning, rape, forced disappearances, torture, mass executions and the displacement of people. This repression identified Oufkir as "the butcher of the Rif".<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Cucco |first=Stefan Festini |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Rifian_Society_Culture_and_Politics_in_M/I7BaEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=1958%20Rif&pg=PT84&printsec=frontcover |title=Rifian Society, Culture and Politics in Mediterranean Morocco |date=2025-01-31 |publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]] |isbn=978-1-040-11950-1 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Belkziz |first=Najwa |url= |title=Transitional Justice and Education: Engaging Young People in Peacebuilding and Reconciliation |last2= |first2= |date=2018-07-16 |publisher=[[Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht|V&R unipress GmbH]] |isbn=978-3-7370-0837-2 |editor-last=Ramírez-Barat |editor-first=Clara |pages=98 |language=en |chapter=Education Reforms in Transitional Justice Contexts: Memory Studies versus Human Rights Education in Morocco |editor-last2=Schulze |editor-first2=Martina |chapter-url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Transitional_Justice_and_Education/lO5jDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=1958%20Rif%20riots&pg=PA98&printsec=frontcover}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite book |last=Powers |first=Holiday |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Moroccan_Modernism/LL1AEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Oufkir%20interior%201964&pg=PT266&printsec=frontcover |title=Moroccan Modernism |date=2025-01-28 |publisher=[[Ohio University Press]] |isbn=978-0-8214-2581-7 |language=en}}</ref> 

Oufkir became the right hand man of [[Hassan II of Morocco|Hassan II]] during the 1960s<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vikør |first=Knut S. |author-link=Knut Vikør |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Maghreb_Since_1800/m54tEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oufkir%20right%20hand&pg=PT101&printsec=frontcover |title=The Maghreb Since 1800: A Short History, NEW EDITION |date=2024-11-01 |publisher=[[Hurst Publishers]] |isbn=978-1-80526-389-0 |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Hammoudi |first=Abdellah |author-link=Abdellah Hammoudi |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Master_and_Disciple/Z4I_EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oufkir%20%22sand%20war%22&pg=PA27&printsec=frontcover |title=Master and Disciple: The Cultural Foundations of Moroccan Authoritarianism |date=2021-08-26 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=978-0-226-82145-0 |pages=28-29 |language=en}}</ref>  In the early years of Morocco's independance, his nominal boss was the [[Ministry of Interior (Morocco)|interior minister]], {{Ill|Ahmed Reda Guedira|fr|Ahmed Reda Guedira}}.<ref name=":24">{{harvnb|Pennell|2000|p=321|pp=|ref=}}</ref> He was appointed the director of the [[Sûreté Nationale (Morocco)|Sûreté Nationale]] in 1960 to control dissidents and reorganise the military.<ref name=":11" /> In 1964, Oufkir became the interior minister.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":10">{{Cite book |last=Baker |first=Alison |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Voices_of_Resistance/VCp71z-2oFIC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Oufkir%20interior%201964%201971&pg=PA33&printsec=frontcover |title=Voices of Resistance: Oral Histories of Moroccan Women |date=1998-01-15 |publisher=[[SUNY Press]] |isbn=978-0-7914-3622-6 |pages=33 |language=en}}</ref> He had a close relationship with the [[CIA]] during this period<ref name=":15">{{Cite book |last=Krüger |first=Henrik |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Great_Heroin_Coup/v9tZCwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Oufkir%20interior%201964&pg=PT77&printsec=frontcover |title=Great Heroin Coup: Drugs, Intelligence & International Fascism |last2=Meldon |first2=Jerry |last3=Scott |first3=Peter Dale |author-link3=Peter Dale Scott |date=2015-12-31 |publisher=TrineDay |isbn=978-1-63424-019-2 |language=}}</ref> and was the main architect for relations with [[French intelligence]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rinehart |first=Robert |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Morocco_a_Country_Study/Pqxf5uJMBvkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA77&printsec=frontcover |title=Morocco, a Country Study |date=1985 |publisher=[[The American University]] |editor-last=Nelson |editor-first=Harold D. |pages=77 |language=en |chapter=Historical Setting}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Vermeren |first=Pierre |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Histoire_du_Maroc_depuis_l_ind%C3%A9pendance/U29EDAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=ch%C3%A9rifienne%20oufkir&pg=PA1963&printsec=frontcover |title=Histoire du Maroc depuis l'indépendance |date=2016-06-07 |publisher=La Découverte |isbn=978-2-7071-9065-9 |language=fr |doi=10.3917/dec.verme.2016.01}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":13">{{Cite book |last=Alpher |first=Yossi |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Periphery/eCxyBgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA26&printsec=frontcover |title=Periphery: Israel’s Search for Middle East Allies |date=2015-01-22 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |isbn=978-1-4422-3102-3 |pages=26 |language=en}}</ref>

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 Army of Liberation|Moroccan Liberation Army]] along with prominent leftists. He did so through killing, arbitrary detainment and forced disappearances.<ref name=":10" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Huttunen |first=Laura |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/An_Anthropology_of_Disappearance/JvCqEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oufkir%20disappearances&pg=PA13&printsec=frontcover |title=An Anthropology of Disappearance: Politics, Intimacies and Alternative Ways of Knowing |last2=Perl |first2=Gerhild |date=2023-09-15 |publisher=[[Berghahn Books]] |isbn=978-1-80539-073-2 |pages=13 |language=en}}</ref> His main torture centre was in the former palace of Moqri.<ref name=":22">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Hassan, II |encyclopedia=Dictionary of African Biography |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195382075.001.0001/acref-9780195382075-e-0826?rskey=RKjrpd&result=1 |last=Rich |first=Jeremy |editor-last=Gates Jr. |editor-first=Henry Louis |editor-link=Henry Louis Gates Jr. |pages=39 |isbn=9780195382075 |oclc= |editor3-last=Niven |editor3-first=Steven J. |editor3-link= |editor2-last=Akyeampong |editor2-first=Emmanuel |editor2-link=Emmanuel K. Akyeampong}}</ref><ref name=":24" /> In 1963, Oufkir led the [[Sand War]] against Algeria.<ref name=":16" /><ref>{{harvnb|Pennell|2000|p=333|pp=|ref=}}</ref> He oversaw the repression of the [[1965 Moroccan riots|1965 Casablanca riots]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hammoudi |first=Abdellah |author-link=Abdellah Hammoudi |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Master_and_Disciple/Z4I_EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oufkir%20sand%20war&pg=PA27&printsec=frontcover |title=Master and Disciple: The Cultural Foundations of Moroccan Authoritarianism |date=2021-08-26 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |isbn=978-0-226-82145-0 |pages=33 |language=en}}</ref> Under him, army and police were sent to take action against the rioters which led to 400 deaths.<ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last=Derdzinski |first=Joseph L. |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Internal_Security_Services_in_Liberalizi/HB03DAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oufkir%20400&pg=PA48&printsec=frontcover |title=Internal Security Services in Liberalizing States: Transitions, Turmoil, and (In)Security |date=2016-05-23 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-317-11446-8 |pages=48 |language=en}}</ref> From his helicopter, he directed the suppression and allegedly personally machine-gunned rioters in Casablanca.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{harvnb|Pennell|2000|p=323|pp=|ref=}}</ref> These riots ended up in a state of emergency with a 5 year suspension of the constitution and subsequent rule by decree.<ref name=":12" /> In 1970, a new constitution was formulated which gave Hassan II virtually unlimited power to make decisions and legislate outside of any constitutional restraint.<ref name=":8" />[[File:Mehdi Ben Barka Anefo (2).jpg|thumb|[[Mehdi Ben Barka]]. Mohamed Oufkir was accused of being involved in his disappearance and sentenced to life imprisonment ''[[Trial in absentia|in absentia]].'']]
One of his most famous victims is believed to have been the celebrated Moroccan politician [[Mehdi Ben Barka]], who had "[[forced disappearance|disappeared]]" in [[Paris]] in 1965. According to [[Georges Figon]], Oufkir tortured Ben Barka and made a number of incisions on Ben Barka's throat and chest with a decorative Moroccan sword.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Bidwell |first=Robin |author-link=Robin Leonard Bidwell |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Dictionary_Of_Modern_Arab_Histor/KKrCgxsRBkEC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oufkir%20ben%20barka&pg=PA320&printsec=frontcover |title=Dictionary Of Modern Arab History |date=2012-10-12 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-136-16298-5 |pages=320 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Howe |first=Marvine |author-link=Marvine Howe |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Morocco/olBTEdJ0ncIC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oufkir%20ben%20barka&pg=PA109&printsec=frontcover |title=Morocco: The Islamist Awakening and Other Challenges |date=2005-06-30 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-534698-5 |pages=108-109 |language=en}}</ref> The French government issued arrest warrants for him and in 1967 a French court sentenced Oufkir to life imprisonment ''[[Trial in absentia|in absentia]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fenby |first=Jonathan |author-link=Jonathan Fenby |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_General/dhuNIR6GKPcC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oufkir%20ben%20barka&pg=PT292&printsec=frontcover |title=The General: Charles De Gaulle and the France He Saved |date=2010-06-24 |publisher=[[Simon and Schuster]] |isbn=978-0-85720-067-9 |location=London |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Baers |first=Michael |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/A_History_of_the_Western_Sahara_Conflict/6m2VEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oufkir%20ben%20barka&pg=PA172&printsec=frontcover |title=A History of the Western Sahara Conflict: The Paper Desert |date=2022-10-10 |publisher=[[Cambridge Scholars Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-5275-8573-7 |pages=172 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=White |first=Gregory |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/A_Comparative_Political_Economy_of_Tunis/h4GLOHf98csC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Oufkir%20defense&pg=PA126&printsec=frontcover |title=A Comparative Political Economy of Tunisia and Morocco: On the Outside of Europe Looking In |date=2001-07-26 |publisher=[[SUNY Press]] |isbn=978-0-7914-5027-7 |pages=126 |language=en}}</ref> French President [[Charles de Gaulle|De Gaulle]] also accused Oufkir of being responsible which led to tensions straining between Morocco and France until De Gaulle left the [[President of France|French presidency]]. Initially, Hassan defended Oufkir and called De Gaulle's position "intolerable". However, after the [[1972 Moroccan coup attempt|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.<ref name=":5" /> He claimed that any attempt at rapprochement with politicians was stopped by Oufkir.<ref>{{harvnb|Pennell|2000|p=330|pp=|ref=}}</ref>

After the [[1971 Moroccan coup attempt|failed 1971 military coup]], Hassan II appointed Oufkir as defense minister and chief of staff of the [[Royal Moroccan Armed Forces|Royal Armed Forces]]. Oufkir associates where appointed minister of interior and minister of agriculture and development.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nyrop |first=Richard F. |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Area_Handbook_for_Morocco/Ma57JxwfGV0C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Oufkir%20interior%201964%201971&pg=PA3&printsec=frontcover |title=Area Handbook for Morocco |date=1972 |publisher=[[U.S. Government Printing Office]] |pages=3 |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":9">{{Cite book |last=Willis |first=Michael |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Politics_and_Power_in_the_Maghreb/7gMqBgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oufkir%20suppressed&pg=PA91&printsec=frontcover |title=Politics and Power in the Maghreb: Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco from Independence to the Arab Spring |date=2014 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-936820-4 |pages=91-92 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Yasmina" /> Oufkir and Hassan purged the military after the coup.<ref name=":22" /> According to historian C.R. Pennell, after seeing Oufkir among the prisoners captured by the coup plotters, Hassan II said to him "‘General Oufkir, stand up! I delegate to you all my civil and military powers! Take charge of all this!". Oufkir, however, potentially had knowledge about the coup beforehand waiting it out until he knew which side won.<ref name=":25">{{harvnb|Pennell|2000|p=331-332|pp=|ref=}}</ref> There were also suspicions that Oufkir even had connections with the coup plotters.<ref name=":1" /> [[L. Ron Hubbard]] and the [[Sea Org]], the paramilitary upper echelon of the [[Church of Scientology]] which had fled to Morocco after being denied entry to most European Mediterranean ports, instructed one of their members to instruct Oufkir in the use of [[E-meter|E-meters]] as [[Polygraph|lie detectors]] to apprehend coup participants. After the 1972 coup, Hassan II became suspicious of them and expelled them from the country.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wright |first=Lawrence |author-link=Lawrence Wright |title=Going clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the prison of belief |title-link=Going Clear (book) |date=2013 |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |isbn=978-0-307-70066-7 |location=New York |oclc=818318033}}</ref>

=== 1972 Moroccan coup attempt and death ===
{{Main article|1972 Moroccan coup attempt}}
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]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Miller |first=Susan Gilson |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/A_History_of_Modern_Morocco/peGyku_eREkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA177&printsec=frontcover |title=A History of Modern Morocco |date=2013-04-15 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-0-521-81070-8 |pages=177 |language=en}}</ref> The [[Socialist Union of Popular Forces|USFP]] were also said to be involved with [[Fqih Basri]] fleeing to Algeria.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sater |first=James |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Morocco/iBAzDAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oufkir%20basri%201972&pg=PA1954&printsec=frontcover |title=Morocco: Challenges to tradition and modernity |date=2016-06-09 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-317-57397-5 |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":17" /> Hassan, twenty one years later in an interview with French journalist [[Éric Laurent (journalist)|Éric Laurent]], when asked whether it was [[Ahmed Dlimi]] who executed Oufkir, claimed that Oufkir "would not have stood judged by his peers, and being taken before a firing squad after being stripped of his rank. It was not his style."<ref name=":32">{{harvnb|Hughes|2006|p=|pp=176-177|ref=}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":17">{{Cite book |last=Howe |first=Marvine |author-link=Marvine Howe |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Morocco/4Hs8DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oufkir%20family&pg=PA112&printsec=frontcover |title=Morocco: The Islamist Awakening and Other Challenges |date=2005-06-30 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press, USA]] |isbn=978-0-19-516963-8 |pages=112 |language=en}}</ref> These bullets at the back of his head made this alleged suicide come to be known as an "acrobatic suicide".<ref>{{Cite book |last=White |first=Gregory |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/A_Comparative_Political_Economy_of_Tunis/h4GLOHf98csC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA127&printsec=frontcover |title=A Comparative Political Economy of Tunisia and Morocco: On the Outside of Europe Looking In |date=2001-07-26 |publisher=[[SUNY Press]] |isbn=978-0-7914-5027-7 |pages=127 |language=en}}</ref> 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  {{Ill|Moulay Hafid Alaoui|fr|Moulay Hafid Alaoui}} 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.<ref name=":32" /> It is likely that Oufkir was executed by generals loyal to the Moroccan monarchy after being summoned to the palace specifically being shot by Ahmed Dlimi.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Yasmina">{{cite journal |last1=Abouzzohour |first1=Yasmina |date=2021 |title=How Do Liberalized Autocracies Repress Dissent? Evidence from Morocco |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/800103 |journal=[[The Middle East Journal]] |volume=75 |issue=2 |pages=278-279 |doi=10.3751/75.2.14 |issn=1940-3461 |s2cid=238800898|url-access=subscription }}</ref> 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<ref name=":16" /> or 17 August 1972.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":23">{{Cite book |last=Boum |first=Aomar |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Historical_Dictionary_of_Morocco/glgzDAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oufkir%2017%20august&pg=PA379&printsec=frontcover |title=Historical Dictionary of Morocco |last2=Park |first2=Thomas K. |date=2016-06-02 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |isbn=978-1-4422-6297-3 |pages=379 |language=en}}</ref> He is buried in Ain Chair.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":23" /> 

Oufkir's motives behind the coup were unclear. According to some, similarly to the plotters of the [[1971 Moroccan coup attempt]], Oufkir did it to oppose the perceived corruption of the monarchy. Alternatively, it could have been due to him fearing that Hassan II intended to remove him as he believed that Hassan attempted to assassinate him in a helicopter accident in [[Agadir]] in May 1972. Hassan possibly was suspicious of Oufkir believing he was implicated in the 1971 coup attempt.<ref name=":7" /> Seeing the harsh punishment against his former colleagues and friends like the televised execution of ten of the leading plotters caused relations between Hassan and Oufkir to deteriorate.<ref name=":1" /> Furthermore, Oufkir felt threatened by the appointment of Ahmed Dlimi as the new head of national security.<ref name=":16">El Alami, Inès (auth). {{Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE|title=|article=Oufkir, Muhammad|url=https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/EI3O/COM-46056.xml?rskey=55QYJG&ebody=article%20details|doi=10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_46056}}</ref> According to Amekrane, Oufkir, in a meeting in late November 1971, spoke about the "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.<ref name=":32" /> Oufkir disliked how the king attempted to seek rapprochement with the opposition.<ref name=":25" /> An additional reason that could have provoked the coup was the rampant [[crony capitalism]] within Hassan II's inner circle which restricted Morocco's economic progress.<ref name=":20">{{Cite book |last=Baers |first=Michael |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/A_History_of_the_Western_Sahara_Conflict/6m2VEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA202&printsec=frontcover |title=A History of the Western Sahara Conflict: The Paper Desert |date=2022-10-10 |publisher=[[Cambridge Scholars Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-5275-8573-7 |pages=202 |language=en}}</ref>

The orientalist [[Robin Leonard Bidwell|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.<ref name=":2" /> Most evidence point to Oufkir being behind the coup, however.<ref name=":9" /> Like with his motives, Oufkir's intentions for Morocco after the coup were unclear, with some believing he wanted to install a [[regent]] and with others believing he wanted to establish a republic with the support of Morocco's leftist parties.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book |last=Willis |first=Michael |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Politics_and_Power_in_the_Maghreb/7gMqBgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA92&printsec=frontcover |title=Politics and Power in the Maghreb: Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco from Independence to the Arab Spring |date=2014 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-936820-4 |pages=92 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bennani-Chraïbi |first=Mounia |author-link=Mounia Bennani-Chraïbi |date=2022-09-03 |title=Abderrahmane Youssoufi: an embodiment of the mutations of the Moroccan left |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13629387.2020.1855426 |journal=The Journal of North African Studies |volume=27 |issue=5 |pages=914 |doi=10.1080/13629387.2020.1855426 |issn=1362-9387}}</ref>

== Views ==
Oufkir was part of the [[French language|French]]-speaking [[Westernization|Westernized]] elite who supported capitalist regimes<ref name=":14">{{Cite book |last=Khannous |first=Touria |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/African_Pasts_Presents_and_Futures/fd9_AQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA63&printsec=frontcover |title=African Pasts, Presents, and Futures: Generational Shifts in African Women's Literature, Film, and Internet Discourse |date=2013-10-17 |publisher=[[Lexington Books]] |isbn=978-0-7391-7042-7 |pages=63 |language=en}}</ref> and was a staunch anti-communist<ref name=":15" /> opposing rapprochement with leftists out of fear that it would push Morocco into a pro-[[Soviet Union|Soviet]] direction.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Evans |first=Martin |title=The Ben Barka Affair. |url=https://research.ebsco.com/c/77mf3w/search/details/ynqcyupbr5?db=31h |journal=[[History Today]] |volume=66 |issue=2 |pages=49-50 |issn=0018-2753}}</ref> He had a disdain for the urban [[Arabs|Arab]] political and cultural elites in Morocco and would have preferred Morocco to not be part of the [[Arab League]].<ref name=":1" /> He grew up in the same region as the [[Jews|Jewish]] mystic [[Baba Sali]] and was a firm believer in his miracles. This disdain for the Arab elite and his experience with Baba Sali's miracles made him the perfect candidate to run Morocco's links with Israel. However, his relationship with Israel proved problematic for them when they were implicated in both the [[Ben Barka affair]] and the [[1972 Moroccan coup attempt|1972 coup]].<ref name=":13" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Maddy-Weitzman |first=Bruce |date=2024-01-02 |title=Instrumentalizing Arabism: Morocco and the Inter-Arab System |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21520844.2024.2304784 |journal=The Journal of the Middle East and Africa |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=14-15 |doi=10.1080/21520844.2024.2304784 |issn=2152-0844|doi-access=free |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== Legacy ==
[[File:Malika oufkir 2006.jpg|thumb|[[Malika Oufkir]] at the [[Texas Book Festival|2006 Texas Book Festival]], author of [[Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail]] and daughter of Mohamed Oufkir]]
On orders of the king, Oufkir's entire family, his wife and their six children with the youngest being 3 years old, and two family friends were sent to secret desert prison camps after the 1972 coup attempt.<ref name=":21">{{Cite book |last=Huttunen |first=Laura |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/An_Anthropology_of_Disappearance/JvCqEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oufkir%20six%20kids&pg=PA13&printsec=frontcover |title=An Anthropology of Disappearance: Politics, Intimacies and Alternative Ways of Knowing |last2=Perl |first2=Gerhild |date=2023-09-15 |publisher=Berghahn Books |isbn=978-1-80539-073-2 |editor-last=Huttunen |editor-first=Laura |pages=13 |language=en |chapter=Why an Anthropology of Disappearance? A Tentative Introduction |editor-last2=Perl |editor-first2=Gerhild}}</ref> They spent 15 years in those secret prisons usually under solitary confinement. When they escaped by tunnelling out in 1987, they had 5 days of freedom where they revisited their old family home in Rabat only to find it razed to the ground by Hassan II. They were kept again in house arrest.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Slyomovics |first=Susan |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Performance_of_Human_Rights_in_Moroc/VXZ0BAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oufkir%20family&pg=PA55&printsec=frontcover |title=The Performance of Human Rights in Morocco |date=2005-02-09 |publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania Press]] |isbn=978-0-8122-1904-3 |pages=55 |language=en}}</ref> They were not released until 1991.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Power |first=Jonathan |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Like_Water_on_Stone/njElm3dJLKwC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oufkir%20family%20pressure&pg=PA202&printsec=frontcover |title=Like Water on Stone: The Story of Amnesty International |date=2001 |publisher=[[UPNE]] |isbn=978-1-55553-487-5 |pages=202 |language=en}}</ref> Partly because of pressure from French public opinion, they fled to France in 1996, a story that was detailed by Oufkir's daughter [[Malika Oufkir|Malika]] in her autobiographical book ''[[Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail|Stolen Lives]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gillespie |first=Richard |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_European_Union_and_Democracy_Promoti/2cZKqfuiLksC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oufkir%20release%20pressure&pg=PA137&printsec=frontcover |title=The European Union and Democracy Promotion: The Case of North Africa |last2=Youngs |first2=Richard |date=2002 |publisher=[[Psychology Press]] |isbn=978-0-7146-5292-4 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Slyomovics |first=Susan |date=2002-11-01 |title=Malika Oufkir: Reliving the Moroccan Past: A Review Essay |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/09213740020140030501?casa_token=D3rsr1IplskAAAAA%3AQwftfNKYYtNRXmpzlBDk7UxLU57C6c5lAxwgS0lvC35bfM_5hBOqZLlGYXYv8XvyHYhoxFBp4r7H& |journal=[[Cultural Dynamics]] |language=EN |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=317–326 |doi=10.1177/09213740020140030501 |issn=0921-3740|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Oufkir's wife Fatima and his son Raouf also published their own accounts.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Khannous |first=Touria |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/African_Pasts_Presents_and_Futures/fd9_AQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Raouf%20fatima%20oufkir&pg=PA75&printsec=frontcover |title=African Pasts, Presents, and Futures: Generational Shifts in African Women's Literature, Film, and Internet Discourse |date=2013-10-17 |publisher=[[Lexington Books]] |isbn=978-0-7391-7042-7 |pages=75 |language=en}}</ref>

Soldiers suspected to have been involved in the 1972 coup were put on trial with many receiving lengthy prison sentences and being sent to secret detention camps. Few of these soldiers survived. Furthermore, the regime isolated the military from the political sphere by removing the ranks of defense minister, major general, and deputy major general.<ref name="Yasmina" /> Officers who were deemed to be dangerous to the king were sent to lead units in the [[Yom Kippur War]] and they became glorified as martyrs after failing in battle. This also improved Hassan's image among more [[Anti-Zionism|anti-Zionist]] Arab rulers as an ideologically reliable leader.<ref name=":20" /> The security forces moved to the direct rule of the king and the "Ministry of Defense" was replaced by the "Administration of Defense" which was run by a general secretary. When the [[Western Sahara War]] broke out, the Moroccan military was confined to the Western Sahara (where 50-70% of Moroccan troops remain) away from "useful Morocco" which proved to be beneficial to Hassan II's goals of restructuring the army.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Feliu |first=Laura |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Political_Regimes_in_the_Arab_World/zKplXDI4AIMC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=oufkir%20&pg=PA74&printsec=frontcover |title=Political Regimes in the Arab World: Society and the Exercise of Power |last2=Parejo |first2=Ma Angustias |date=2013 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-0-415-62566-1 |editor-last=Izquierdo |editor-first=Ferran |pages=74-75 |language=en |chapter=Morocco: the reinvention of an authoritarian system |chapter-url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203102626-5/morocco-reinvention-authoritarian-system-1-laura-feliu-ma-angustias-parejo}}</ref>

Oufkir is a controversial figure in both Morocco and the [[Berberism#Morocco|Amazigh movement]]. For most contemporary Berber activists, Oufkir represents the quintessential ''Berbère de service'' meaning a Berber who instead of looking to the Berber community's needs, did the bidding of the king to advance and serve his own interests. However, some privately see Oufkir in a positive light justifying his attempted coup. Oufkir had a similar worldview to many of the intellectuals of the Amazigh movement like his disdain for the urban Arab elite. When the Oufkir family was released, Malika reports that junior policemen they encountered said to them "you have restored the Berbers’ pride. You have brought your father back to life" indicating that among Berbers serving in the security forces Oufkir's image is popular.<ref name=":1" /> Today, among Moroccans in general, Oufkir is still seen negatively as the strongman who carried out the repressions in the first 15 years of Moroccan independence.<ref name=":10" /> 

Oufkir was the source of inspiration for [[Elisabeth Frink]]'s ''Goggle Heads'' sculptures after she saw him in photographs immediately after the [[Algerian War]]. She said his dark glasses made him "look strange and menacing and attractive". These dark glasses became a symbol of evil for her, with the title of the sculptures being facetious to deal with the horror of the imagery.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Spalding |first=Julian |author-link=Julian Spalding |url= |title=Elisabeth Frink: Catalogue Raisonné of Sculpture 1947-93 |date=2013 |publisher=[[Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.]] |isbn=978-1-84822-113-0 |editor-last=Ratuszniak |editor-first=Annette |pages=16 |language=en |chapter=Frink: Catching the Nature of Life |chapter-url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Elisabeth_Frink/qoZb3ND0gWoC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Elisabeth%20Frink%20oufkir&pg=PA16&printsec=frontcover}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Goggled Head II (teeth) by Elisabeth Frink {{!}} National Galleries of Scotland |url=https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/177010 |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=www.nationalgalleries.org |language=en}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
He married his wife Fatima Chenna who came from a wealthy Berber family on 29 June 1952.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":14" /> They had six kids together.<ref name=":21" />

Alongside his native [[Central Atlas Tamazight|Tamazight]], he spoke [[French language|French]], [[Shilha language|Shilha]] and [[Moroccan Arabic]] but he did not speak [[Modern Standard Arabic|literary Arabic]] well.<ref name=":1" /> He has been described as tall and thin in person, concealing his snake-like features behind dark glasses.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=1991-04-08 |title=Morocco Frees Family of Former Minister After 18 Years in Prison |url=https://www.wrmea.org/1991-april/morocco-frees-family-of-former-minister-after-18-years-in-prison.html |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=WRMEA |language=en-gb}}</ref>  

==Honours==
[[File:Silver Star medal.jpg|thumb|The US [[Silver Star]] was awarded to Oufkir<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> by [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] [[Alfred Gruenther|Major General Alfred M. Gruenther]].<ref name="smith" />]]
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;"
| colspan="2" |'''Moroccan decorations<ref name=":18">{{Cite journal |date=1964-01-06 |title=Personnalités marocaines: |url=https://www.cairn.info/revue-maghreb-machrek1-1964-6-page-48.htm?ref=doi |journal=Maghreb - Machrek |volume=6 |issue=6 |pages=51 |doi=10.3917/machr1.006.0048 |issn=1241-5294 |quote=Le général Oufkir est titulaire du Mérite militaire marocain, de l'Ordre du Trône, de la Silver Star Medal américaine, de la Rosette d'officier de la Légion d'Honneur, et d'une vingtaine de décorations étrangères. Il a été douze fois cité dont cinq fois à l'ordre de l'armée, et deux fois blessé.|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=":19">{{Cite web |date=2020-04-22 |title=Raouf Oufkir dévoile le livret militaire de son père |url=https://zamane.ma/raouf-oufkir-devoile-le-livret-militaire-de-son-pere-zamane/ |access-date=2023-07-31 |website=[[Zamane]] |language=fr-FR}}</ref>'''
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=|type=|ribbon=MAR Order of the Military - 4th Class BAR.png|width=60}}
|[[Order of Military Merit (Morocco)|Order of Military Merit]] – July 13, 1949 
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=|type=|ribbon=Ordre de l'Ouissam Alaouite Officier ribbon (Maroc).svg|width=60}}
|[[Order of Ouissam Alaouite]], Officer – October 3, 1949 
|-
|{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Navy Distinguished Service ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[Order of the Throne]]
|- style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;"
| colspan="2" |'''French military decorations''' '''and service medals<ref name=":19" />'''
|-
|{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Legion Honneur Officier ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[Legion of Honour]], Officer – October 3, 1949 
|-
|{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Legion Honneur Chevalier ribbon.svg|width=60}}
|[[Legion of Honour]], Knight – June 6, 1947
|-
|{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Croix de Guerre des Theatres d'Operations Exterieurs ribbon.svg|width=60|type=silver-star}}
|[[Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures|Croix de guerre TOE]] w/ four palms, two silver-gilt stars, one silver star, one bronze star
|-
|{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Croix de guerre 39-45 une palme et une étoile de vermeil.png|width=60|type=}}
|[[Croix de Guerre 1939–1945]] w/ one palm and one silver-gilt star
|-
|{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Medaille d'Outre-Mer (Coloniale) ribbon.svg|width=60|type=}}
|[[Colonial Medal]] w/ "Extrême-orient" clasp 
|-
|{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Medaille commemorative de la Campagne d'Indochine ribbon.svg|width=60|type=}}
|[[Indochina Campaign Commemorative Medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Ruban de la Médaille commémorative de la campagne d'italie 1943-1944.PNG|width=60|type=}}
|[[1943–1944 Italian campaign medal]]
|-
|{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Medaille commemorative de la Guerre 1939-1945 ribbon.svg|width=60|type=}}
|[[1939–1945 Commemorative war medal (France)|1939–1945 Commemorative war medal]]
|- style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;"
| colspan="2" |'''International and foreign awards<ref name=":19" />'''
|-
|{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Silver Star Medal ribbon.svg|width=60|type=}}
|[[Silver Star]] ([[United States]]) – October 30, 1944<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Ewing |first=Steve |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Thach_Weave/lTg4AAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=Thach Weave: The Life of Jimmie Thach |date=2013-01-15 |publisher=[[Naval Institute Press]] |isbn=978-1-61251-264-8 |pages=286 |language=en |quote=General Mohamed Oufkir, who had been awarded a [[Silver Star|United States Army Silver Star]] while fighting with the Allies during [[World War II]].}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{harvnb|Pennell|2000|p=267|pp=|ref=}}. "Mohammed Oufkir, son of the man the French had attracted in the [[Tafilalt]] on the eve of the Protectorate, was awarded the Croix de guerre and the American [[Silver Star]]"</ref>
|-
|{{ribbon devices|ribbon=Ordre du Nichan Iftikhar Officier ribbon (Tunisia).svg|width=60|type=}}
|[[Order of Glory (Tunisia)|Order of Glory]], Officer ([[Tunisia]]) – December 3, 1953 
|}
Oufkir also had about 20 foreign decorations.<ref name=":18" />

==See also==
* [[Republicanism in Morocco]]
* [[Makhzen]]
* [[Mohamed Medbouh]]
* [[Driss Basri]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Stephen |author-link=Stephen Smith (journalist) |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Oufkir_un_destin_marocain/hBS16VRQJoUC?hl |title=Oufkir un destin marocain |date=2014-04-01 |publisher=[[Calmann-Lévy]] |isbn=978-2-7021-4830-3 |language=fr}}
* {{Cite book |last=Oufkir |first=Malika |author-link=Malika Oufkir |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Stolen_Lives/mPftAAAAMAAJ?hl |title=Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail |last2=Fitoussi |first2=Michele |author-link2=Michèle Fitoussi |date=2001-04-11 |publisher=Miamax |isbn=978-0-7868-6732-5 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hughes |first=Stephen O. |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Morocco_Under_King_Hassan/-1-T-B0b48sC?hl=en |title=Morocco Under King Hassan |publisher=Ithaca Press |year=2006 |isbn=0863723128 |pages=}}
* {{Cite book |last=Vermeren |first=Pierre |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Histoire_du_Maroc_depuis_l_ind%C3%A9pendance/U29EDAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=ch%C3%A9rifienne%20oufkir&pg=PA1963&printsec=frontcover |title=Histoire du Maroc depuis l'indépendance |date=2016-06-07 |publisher=La Découverte |isbn=978-2-7071-9065-9 |language=fr |doi=10.3917/dec.verme.2016.01}}
* {{Cite book |last=Pennell |first=C. R. |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Morocco_Since_1830/g9Mu0faODjsC?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=Morocco Since 1830: A History |date=2000 |publisher=[[C. Hurst & Co.|Hurst]] |isbn=978-1-85065-273-1 |language=en}}

== Further reading ==

* {{Cite book |last=Clément |first=Claude |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Oufkir/mFBOXZV-7lIC?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq=aide%20de%20camp%20duval%20oufkir |title=Oufkir |date=1974 |publisher=J. Dullis |isbn=978-2-7083-0020-0 |language=fr}}

==External links==
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/people/highlights/oufkir.shtml BBC] Article on Malika Oufkir and recorded interview
* [http://www.oprah.com/obc/pastbooks/malika_oufkir/obc_20010620_profile.jhtml Oprah Winfrey's Book Club] The Oufkir family: Where are they now?
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051201064435/http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/001208/2000120826.html ArabicNews] On three Moroccan weeklies banned in 2000, after articles tied the ruling [[Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires|USFP]] party to Oufkir's plot
* {{Cite web |date=2011-07-01 |title=Fatéma Oufkir : Le roi et moi |url=http://www.actuel.ma/index.php?option=com_magazines&view=detail&id=602 |access-date=2023-07-31 |website=Actuel}}
{{Morocco Military}}
{{Human rights in Morocco}}
{{DGSN}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oufkir, Mohamed}}
[[Category:1920 births]]
[[Category:1972 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Moroccan people]]
[[Category:Moroccan Berber politicians]]
[[Category:Politics of Morocco]]
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[[Category:Interior ministers of Morocco]]