Suchergebnisse

France military disengagement in the aftermath of Moroccan independence

When the Treaty of Protectorate was annulled on 2 March 1956, 100 000 French troops remained in Morocco. The negotiations that led to Moroccan independence provided for both the commencement of Franco-Moroccan military cooperation and the continuation of a French troop presence (by the terms of a Protocol annexed to the declaration of 2 March 1956). This protocol would be the source of misunderstandings, for it did not specify the duration of the transitional period and said nothing about the size of the French force nor about the nature of its mission. The Franco-Moroccan mixed commission charged by the 2 March 1956 accord with resolving matters left in suspense never met, despite several abortive attempts. The regional situation, marked by both the war in Algeria and the Franco-Moroccan quarrel over Mauretania, combined to complicate the French withdrawal which was not completed until 1961. France nonetheless contributed to the establishment of the Royal Moroccan armed forces and the two nations managed to put in place a policy of military cooperation that has proved durable and dynamic.