Morocco, UN Discuss Peacekeeping Cooperation and Global Security Issues
Marrakech, The Gulf Observer: Morocco’s Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces, Mohammed Berrid, met on Friday with Cheryl Pearce, Acting Military Adviser to the United Nations, to discuss Morocco’s contribution to United Nations peace operations and broader cooperation on global security issues.
The meeting was held at the headquarters of the Royal Armed Forces of Morocco General Staff in Rabat, where the two officials exchanged views on Morocco’s long-standing engagement in UN peacekeeping missions and its role in supporting international stability.
Morocco currently contributes troops to several UN missions, including the MINUSCA in the Central African Republic and MONUSCO. Moroccan contingents in these operations are tasked with protecting civilians and supporting mission mandates.
The North African kingdom has been a consistent contributor to UN peacekeeping since the 1960s, deploying military and police personnel across multiple missions in Africa. As of early 2025, Morocco had more than 1,700 personnel serving under UN command, making it one of the region’s largest troop-contributing countries.
In May 2025, António Guterres posthumously honored Moroccan peacekeeper Karim Temara during the United Nations’ annual memorial ceremony in New York. Corporal Temara was killed in 2024 while serving in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Beyond deployments, Morocco also hosts and conducts peacekeeping training programs for foreign personnel. These include a three-week, women-focused UN peacekeeping course held in Agadir in August 2025, which was attended by 23 female military personnel from 14 countries.
At the United Nations Troop Contributing Countries Chiefs’ Conclave in New Delhi in October 2025, Moroccan officials reiterated the country’s long peacekeeping tradition. Abdelkrim Nejjar noted that Moroccan soldiers had served in both World Wars before contributing to UN missions for more than six decades. He reaffirmed Morocco’s readiness to adapt to evolving mission challenges, expand training capacity, and share best practices, while calling for more practical mandates to allow peacekeepers to operate effectively in complex environments.
Separately, Aziz Akhannouch told Axios journalist Barak Ravid that Morocco is in discussions about potentially contributing troops to an International Stabilization Force in Gaza. The comments were made on January 20 during the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Akhannouch said Mohammed VI would serve on Donald Trump’s Gaza Peace Board, confirming Morocco’s involvement in the initiative. Morocco became the first country to join the Board of Peace on January 22 after King Mohammed VI accepted Trump’s invitation as a founding member, positioning the kingdom for a leading role in a broader international stabilization effort.
