General Mohamed Oufkir (Arabic: محمد أوفقير, romanized: Muḥammad Ūfqīr;[a] 16 August 1920 − 16 August 1972) was a Moroccan senior military officer who held many important governmental posts like the minister of interior and minister of defense. Throughout the 60s, he rose to become the regime’s strongman having a close relationship with Hassan II of Morocco and was partly responsible for the suppression of political opposition and riots. It is believed that he was involved in the Ben Barka affair and that he was assassinated for his alleged role in the failed 1972 Moroccan coup attempt.
Early life and military career
Mohamed Oufkir was born on 16 August 1920[2] in the Ait Seghrouchen village of Ain Chair [fr], in the Tafilalt region, the stronghold of High Atlas Berbers[3][4] or the Berber-speaking village of Boudenib.[5] The name Oufkir means “the impoverished” according to his daughter Malika.[3]
