Once focused primarily on domestic counterterrorism, Morocco’s intelligence services have emerged as significant actors on the international stage, playing a key role in security and diplomacy across Africa and beyond.
Their growing influence is increasingly recognized by world powers and regional governments alike.
In February 2021, the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST) received commendations from the FBI’s New York branch and the CIA for its role in thwarting terrorist plots.
Just weeks prior, intelligence from Abdellatif Hammouchi’s services had helped prevent an attack by an American soldier linked to Daesh.
These successes led former FBI Director Christopher Wray and CIA Director William Burns to visit Morocco in early 2023 to meet Hammouchi, following US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s 2019 visit to the DGST headquarters.
Morocco’s influence extends deeply into the Sahel.
The General Directorate of Studies and Documentation (DGED) has supported multiple states in combating extremism and mediating regional conflicts.
In Niger, Moroccan intelligence recently helped neutralize the leader of Boko Haram. Diplomatic interventions have also resulted in the release of four French spies in Burkina Faso in 2024 and European hostages, including German citizen Jörg Lange in December 2022.
Collaboration with Mali’s National Agency for State Security led to the release in August 2025 of four Moroccan truck drivers kidnapped earlier that year.
Meanwhile, Morocco has engaged quietly with Niger’s ruling military to secure the release of former President Mohamed Bazoum, reflecting its deepening diplomatic role.
The kingdom is increasingly central to the Alliance of Sahel States, which includes Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. King Mohammed VI hosted their foreign ministers in April 2025, while Chad is considering joining, having strengthened ties through recent initiatives to facilitate Sahelian access to the Atlantic.
France has acknowledged Morocco’s expanding regional role. “Yesterday’s lenses” for observing Africa “are outdated,” President Emmanuel Macron declared in October 2024, praising Morocco’s mediation in the Sahara and Sahel. The kingdom’s influence is expected to grow further with the planned establishment of a US military command for Africa in Morocco.
However, not all reactions are positive. In Spain, some media, retired military officials, and political factions have expressed concern about potential threats to national security, reflecting unease over Morocco’s rising role in regional intelligence and security dynamics.
Morocco’s intelligence services now stand at the intersection of security and diplomacy, reshaping both regional power structures and the kingdom’s global profile.
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