General Directorate of Studies and Documentation
{{Short description|Foreign intelligence agency of Morocco}}
{{Infobox government agency
| name = General Directorate of Studies and Documentation
| native_name = Direction Générale des Études et de la Documentation
| native_name_a = المديرية العامة للدراسات والمستندات
| type = Intelligence agency
| seal = Blazon_de_la_DGED.svg
| seal_size = 150
| seal_caption = Seal of the DGED
| formed = {{Start date and years ago|1973|01|12}}
| headquarters = Rabat, Morocco
| employees = 4,000 (2003 estimate){{cite news |title=Les services secrets marocains en action La DST, surveillance à trois étages La DGED, toutes voiles dehors |url=https://www.maghress.com/fr/marochebdo/54203 |access-date=27 April 2022 |work=Maroc-Hebdo |date=2003-01-24 |language=fr}}
| budget = 1,08 billion dirham (2015){{cite news |last1=Jaabouk |first1=Mohammed |title=Les renseignements marocains ont la cote malgré des moyens limités |url=https://www.yabiladi.com/articles/details/40370/renseignements-marocains-cote-malgre-moyens.html |access-date=27 April 2022 |work=Yabiladi.com |date=2015-11-21 |language=fr}}
| chief1_name = Mohammed Yassine Mansouri
| chief1_position = General Director
| parent_department = Administration for National Defense
}}
The General Directorate of Studies and Documentation ({{Langx|ar|المديرية العامة للدراسات والمستندات}}, {{Langx|fr|Direction Générale des Études et de la Documentation}}; DGED) is the foreign intelligence agency of Morocco, under authority of the Administration for National Defense.{{Cite book |url=http://cedhd.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/RSS-Version-FR.pdf |title=La législation Marocaine relative à la gouvernance du secteur de sécurité |publisher=Centre d'études en Droits Humains et Démocratie |year=2016 |language=fr}} It is officially tasked with maintaining national security and the safety of national institutions.{{Cite web |last= |date=2010-01-25 |title=Marruecos |url=https://intelpage.info/marruecos.html |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=Inteligencia |language=es}}
The current general director of the DGED is Mohammed Yassine Mansouri, who studied with Mohammed VI at the Royal College and previously ran Maghreb Arabe Press.{{Cite web |last=DAHBI |first=Omar |title=Un civil à la tête de la DGED |url=https://aujourdhui.ma/actualite/un-civil-a-la-tete-de-la-dged-25973 |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=Aujourd'hui le Maroc |language=fr-FR}}{{Cite book |last=Amar |first=Ali |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/320879035 |title=Mohammed VI : le grand malentendu |date=2009 |publisher=Calmann-Lévy |isbn=978-2-7021-4010-9 |location=Paris |oclc=320879035}}{{Cite web |last=Le Matin |first=MAP |title=S.M. le Roi nomme Yassine Mansouri directeur général de la DGED |url=https://lematin.ma/journal/2005/S-M--le-Roi-nomme-Yassine-Mansouri-directeur-general-de-la-DGED/50553.html |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=Le Matin |language=fr}} Mansouri was appointed to the position by Mohammed VI on February 14, 2005.{{Cite web |title=Mohamed-Yassine Mansouri a une expérience diversifiée : une connaissance du secteur de l'information et de la communication et une ouverture à l'international. Le "joker" du Roi |url=https://www.maghress.com/fr/marochebdo/64006 |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=Maroc-Hebdo}} The agency collaborates often with its internal counterpart, the DGST.{{Cite web |date=2021-08-01 |title=Collaboration exemplaire entre services sécuritaires du Maroc et l'Europe |url=https://maroc-diplomatique.net/collaboration-exemplaire-entre-services/ |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=Maroc Diplomatique |language=fr-FR}}{{Cite web |date=2021-03-13 |title=Habboub Cherkaoui (BCIJ) : Pour nous, le "tberguig" n'a aucune connotation négative |url=https://medias24.com/2021/03/13/habboub-cherkaoui-bcij-pour-nous-le-tberguig-na-aucune-connotation-negative/ |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=Médias24 |language=fr-FR}}
History
The DGED was created on January 12, 1973 under a Royal Dahir,{{Cite journal |title=Dahir portant loi n° 1-73-8 du 7 hijra 1392 (12 janvier 1973) relatif à la creation d'une Direction générale des études et de la documentation |url=http://www.sgg.gov.ma/BO/bo_fr/1973/bo_3144_fr.pdf#page=11 |journal=Bulletin Officiel |issue=3144 |page=11}} in the aftermath of two failed coups against Hassan II.{{cite book|title=Raisons d'états: tout sur l'affaire Ben Barka et d'autres crimes politiques au Maroc|date=2005|page=185|author=Ahmed Boukhari|author-link=Ahmed Boukhari}} It was modeled after the now-defunct French Service de Documentation Extérieure et de Contre-Espionnage.{{Cite web |last=Macé |first=Célian |title=Paris et Rabat, nécessaires partenaires |url=https://www.liberation.fr/planete/2017/09/04/paris-et-rabat-necessaires-partenaires_1594179/ |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=Libération |language=fr}} The directorate was run by Ahmed Dlimi until his death in 1983. Dlimi previously ran the CAB-1, a political police unit during the Years of Lead that later became the DGST.{{Cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Stephen |last2=Jamai |first2=Aboubakr |last3=Amar |first3=Ali |date=2001-07-01 |title=La vérité sur la " disparition " au Maroc de Mehdi Ben Barka |language=fr |work=Le Monde & Le Journal Hebdomadaire |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/2001/07/01/la-verite-sur-la-disparition-au-maroc-de-mehdi-ben-barka_4198052_1819218.html |access-date=2022-04-27}}{{Cite web |last=Filali |first=Kenza |title=Affaire Ben Barka : François Hollande lève le secret-défense sur 89 documents majeurs |url=https://ledesk.ma/enoff/affaire-ben-barka-francois-hollande-leve-le-secret-defense-sur-89-documents-majeurs/ |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=Le Desk |language=en-US}}
Following Dlimi's death, General Abdelhak El Kadiri headed the DGED until his retirement in 2001.{{cite book|author1=Mahjoub Tobji|author-link=Mahjoub Tobji|title=Les officiers de sa majesté|date=2006}} Following El Kadiri's retirement, Ahmed Harchi was appointed as the head of the DGED in July 2001.{{Cite web |title=Putsch civil à la DGED |url=https://www.maghress.com/fr/marochebdo/64005 |access-date=2022-04-27 |website=Maroc-Hebdo}} Mohammed Yassine Mansouri named the general director of the DGED by King Mohammed VI on February 14, 2005, becoming the first civilian to hold the title.
The DGED caused controversy following the 2003 Casablanca bombings for its help in the arrest and conviction of six high-ranking politicians in the Justice and Development Party for complicity in the bombings.{{Cite news |last1=Erlanger |first1=Steven |last2=Mekhennet |first2=Souad |date=2009-08-26 |title=Islamic Radicalism Slows Moroccan Reforms |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/world/africa/27morocco.html |access-date=2022-04-28 |issn=0362-4331}} A reporter for Al-Manar, a TV station affiliated with Hezbollah was also convicted under the same charges.
In a 2009 interview, Mohammed Yassine Mansouri claimed that the spread of Wahhabism and Shia Islam by Saudi Arabia and Iran as a threat, claiming that both ideologies were aggressive. In the same interview, Mansouri also claimed that Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb was seen a major threat by Morocco.
In 2014, a Twitter account named @chris_coleman24, which was likely controlled by the French DGSE,{{Cite web |last=Today |first=Politics |date=2023-02-13 |title=A Secret Intelligence War between Morocco and France? |url=https://politicstoday.org/a-secret-intelligence-war-between-morocco-and-france/ |access-date=2023-04-11 |website=Politics Today |language=en-US}} leaked documents and emails between Moroccan consulates and the DGED,{{Cite web |last=El Yadari |first=Issam |title=Le corbeau " Chris Coleman ", auteur des MarocLeaks, est-il de retour? |url=https://ledesk.ma/enoff/le-corbeau-chris-coleman-auteur-des-marocleaks-est-il-de-retour/ |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=Le Desk |language=en-US}} the user claimed that their goal was to "destabilize Morocco".{{Cite web |last=Majidi |first=Yassine |title=Des documents confidentiels de responsables marocains fuitent sur le web |url=https://telquel.ma/2014/10/08/documents-confidentiels-responsables-marocains-fuitent-web_1418556?fbrefresh=3 |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=TelQuel |language=fr}}{{Cite web |date=2015-01-03 |title=Un mystérieux hacker tente de déstabiliser le régime marocain |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2015/01/03/01003-20150103ARTFIG00106-un-mysterieux-hacker-tente-de-destabiliser-le-regime-marocain.php |access-date=2022-11-17 |website=LE FIGARO |language=fr}} Arrêt sur Images claimed that some of the documents leaked by the user were falsified.{{Cite web |last=Manach |first=Jean-Marc |title=Maroc-Algérie : quand tweetent les barbouzes... |url=https://www.arretsurimages.net/chroniques/man-hack/maroc-algerie-quand-tweetent-les-barbouzes |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=Arrêt sur Images}}{{Cite web |date=2014-12-08 |title=Un Wikileaks version marocaine sème le trouble... et le doute |url=https://www.france24.com/fr/20141208-maroc-chris-coleman-twitter-wikileaks-diplomatie-sahara-occidental |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=France 24 |language=fr}} Morocco's Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused "pro-Polisario organizations" with the complicity of the Algerian government of running the Twitter account. Despite this, Algérie Presse Service claims that the leaker was a "famous American hacker".{{Cite news |title=Un célèbre hacker américain dévoile un plan marocain de diffamation des pays voisins |work=Algérie Presse Service |url=https://www.aps.dz/monde/115006-un-celebre-hacker-americain-devoile-un-plan-marocain-de-diffamation-des-pays-voisins}}
In 2017, the French IGPN arrested an officer of the French Border Police for allegedly giving the DGED files on up to 200 people marked under a Fiche S, France's indicator for people deemed a threat to national security.{{Cite web |last=Sellami |first=Stéphane |date=2017-06-23 |title=L'histoire rocambolesque du policier qui remettait des fiches S au Maroc |url=https://www.lepoint.fr/faits-divers/le-policier-trafiquant-de-fiches-s-dit-avoir-agi-dans-l-interet-superieur-de-la-nation-23-06-2017-2137715_2627.php |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=Le Point |language=fr}}{{Cite web |last1=Alonso |first1=Pierre |last2=Devin |first2=Willy Le |title=Un policier français soupçonné d'avoir balancé des fiches S aux services marocains |url=https://www.liberation.fr/france/2017/06/15/un-policier-francais-soupconne-d-avoir-balance-des-fiches-s-aux-services-marocains_1577057/ |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=Libération |language=fr}}{{Cite web |title=Un policier aux frontières français à la solde des services marocains ? |url=https://ledesk.ma/enoff/un-policier-des-frontieres-francais-la-solde-des-services-marocains/ |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=Le Desk |language=en-US}} In 2021, the IGPN claimed that members of the DGED had infiltrated the French Council of the Muslim Faith.{{Cite web |last=Leplongeon |first=Marc |date=2021-12-01 |title=EXCLUSIF. L'offensive des services secrets marocains sur l'islam de France |url=https://www.lepoint.fr/societe/exclusif-l-offensive-des-services-secrets-marocains-sur-l-islam-de-france-01-12-2021-2454702_23.php |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=Le Point |language=fr}} In 2022, the DGED was caught in a scandal involving its agents infiltrating the European Parliament.{{Cite news |last=Becker |first=Markus |last2=Buschmann |first2=Rafael |last3=Naber |first3=Nicola |last4=Neukirch |first4=Ralf |last5=Truckendanner |first5=Petra |date=2023-01-20 |title=A Secret Meeting in Suite 412: Inside the European Parliament Corruption Scandal |url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/a-secret-meeting-in-suite-412-inside-the-european-parliament-corruption-scandal-a-af0228b9-3557-47ca-8184-7e355ad151c3 |access-date=2024-04-18 |work=Der Spiegel |language=en |issn=2195-1349}}{{Cite web |date=2023-05-03 |title=ENQUÊTE. M118, l’espion marocain soupçonné d’avoir infiltré le Parlement européen |url=https://www.lejdd.fr/societe/enquete-m118-lespion-marocain-soupconne-davoir-infiltre-le-parlement-europeen-135267 |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=lejdd.fr |language=fr}}
In 2023, the DGED was involved in rescuing Romanian citizen Iulian Ghergut from al-Qaeda sympathizers in Burkina Faso.{{Cite web |title=Bucarest décore Yassine Mansouri après la libération d’un otage roumain par Al Qaida |url=https://ledesk.ma/encontinu/bucarest-decore-yassine-mansouri-apres-la-liberation-dun-otage-roumain-par-al-qaida/ |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=Le Desk |language=fr-FR}}{{Cite web |date=2023-12-13 |title=La DGED reçoit la plus haute distinction roumaine , H24info |url=https://www.h24info.ma/la-dged-recoit-la-plus-haute-distinction-roumaine/ |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=H24Info |language=fr-FR}}
Directors
- Ahmed Dlimi (1973-1983)
- Abdelhak Kadiri (1983-2001)
- Ahmed El Harchi (2001-2005)
- Yassine Mansouri (2005-present)
Activities
File:DLIMI - MOROCCO 02 AVRIL 1980.png, the first Director-General of the DGED, pictured in 1980|267x267px]]
The DGED states its official mission as "participating in maintaining the security of the kingdom, the state and its institutions". According to a 2003 report by Maroc Hebdo, the DGED has 4,000 employees total, 60% of which are members of the Royal Armed Forces, the remaining being civilians.{{Cite web |agency=Associated Press |title=Important remaniement à la tête du contre-espionnage marocain |url=https://www.yabiladi.com/article-politique-323.html |access-date=2022-04-28 |website=Yabiladi}} According to the same report, 5% of DGED employees are women, and there are an estimated 250 to 300 agents abroad working for the DGED.
The DGED collaborates with foreign services in security and terrorism-related affairs, including exchange of information regarding specific Moroccans targeted by foreign services.{{cite news |author1=Karim Boukhari |author2=Abdellatif El Azizi |title=Exclusif. Voyage au cœur des services secrets |url=https://telquel.ma/sommaire/services-secrets-les-grandes-oreilles-de-la-monarchie |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070402020728/http://www.telquel-online.com/167/couverture_167_1.shtml |archive-date=April 2, 2007 |access-date=27 June 2014 |publisher=Telquel |issue=167}}
Mohamed Reda Taoujni, previous owner of the journal Assahra Al Ousbouiya, claimed that the DGED controlled his journal and had published articles to the journal and its online counterpart through pseudonyms.{{Cite AV media |people=Mohamed Reda Taoujni |title=Mohamed Reda Taoujni piégé par la DGED (LA HONTE) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrAxQ60wodw |language=ar |access-date=2022-04-28}} According to Ali Lmrabet, the DGED was reported to have staff in consulates and embassies of Morocco, hence benefiting from diplomatic immunity.{{cite news |last=Lmrabet |first=Ali |date=12 February 2014 |title=L'ambassade du Maroc à Paris serait derrière les déboires de Khadija Ryadi |agency=Demain online |url=http://www.demainonline.com/2014/02/12/lambassade-du-maroc-a-paris-serait-derriere-les-deboires-de-khadija-ryadi/ |url-status=dead |access-date=27 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221204010/http://www.demainonline.com/2014/01/05/madrid-refuse-daccorder-la-nationalite-espagnole-a-un-agent-de-la-dged/ |archive-date=21 February 2014 |ref=dem}} Lmrabet adds that the DGED used journalists working for the Maghreb Arabe Press as agents, and journalists were allegedly tasked with sending wires to the DGED containing information they gathered.{{cite news |author1=Ali Lmrabet |author-link=Ali Lmrabet |date=27 January 2013 |title=Les "fonctionnaires-journalistes" de la MAP sont-ils des espions à la solde de la DGED ? |publisher=Demain online |url=http://www.demainonline.com/2013/01/27/les-fonctionnaires-journalistes-de-la-map-sont-ils-des-espions-a-la-solde-de-la-dged/ |url-status=dead |access-date=27 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924055637/http://www.demainonline.com/2013/01/27/les-fonctionnaires-journalistes-de-la-map-sont-ils-des-espions-a-la-solde-de-la-dged/ |archive-date=24 September 2014}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Moroccan security forces}}
{{National intelligence agencies}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Direction generale des etudes et de la documentation}}
Category:Government of Morocco
Category:Moroccan intelligence agencies