Once focused primarily on domestic counter-terrorism, Moroccan intelligence services have steadily emerged as pivotal actors on the international stage, extending their influence well beyond national borders.
From Washington to the Sahel, Rabat is increasingly positioning itself as a hub for both security and diplomacy.
In February 2021, Morocco’s General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST) received formal commendations from the FBI and CIA for its role in counter-terrorism efforts.
Weeks earlier, information supplied by Abdellatif Hammouchi’s services helped foil a terrorist plot by an American soldier on behalf of Daesh.
These achievements paved the way for visits from former FBI Director Christopher Wray and CIA Director William Burns in 2023. Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also met Hammouchi in 2019 at the DGST headquarters.
Beyond Morocco’s borders, the General Directorate of Studies and Documentation (DGED) has become a key partner for several African states, assisting in counter-terrorism operations and easing regional political tensions.
The DGED recently helped the Nigerien army neutralize the leader of Boko Haram and played a role in the release of European hostages, including German citizen Jörg Lange in 2022.
In Mali, four Moroccan truck drivers abducted earlier this year were released following collaboration between Mali’s National Agency for State Security and the DGED.
Morocco has quietly engaged with Niger’s ruling military since 2023 to secure the release of former President Mohamed Bazoum.
The kingdom is also emerging as a strategic interlocutor for Sahel countries, including Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, which are part of the Alliance of Sahel States.
King Mohammed VI met the alliance’s foreign ministers in April 2025, and Chad is expected to join, having taken steps toward closer integration during President Mahamat Idriss Déby’s visit to Niger in August.
French President Emmanuel Macron has publicly acknowledged Morocco’s rising influence, noting that “yesterday’s lenses for observing Africa are outdated” and praising the kingdom’s role as a platform and mediator in regional affairs.
While Morocco’s expanding intelligence footprint is welcomed by partners in the US and the Sahel, it has provoked unease in Spain, where concerns persist over a potential threat to national security.
Nonetheless, Morocco’s growing presence in Africa, combined with plans for a US military command on its soil, signals a new era of diplomatic and strategic prominence for the kingdom.
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