Oufkir is a controversial figure in both Morocco and the Amazigh movement. For most contemporary Berber activists, Oufkir represents the quintessential Berbère de service meaning a Berber who instead of looking to the Berber community’s needs, did the bidding of the king to advance and serve his own interests. However, some privately see Oufkir in a positive light justifying his attempted coup. Oufkir had a similar worldview to many of the intellectuals of the Amazigh movement like his disdain for the urban Arab elite. When the Oufkir family was released, Malika reports that junior policemen they encountered said to them “you have restored the Berbers’ pride. You have brought your father back to life” indicating that among Berbers serving in the security forces Oufkir’s image is popular.[5] Today, among Moroccans in general, Oufkir is still seen negatively as the strongman who carried out the repressions in the first 15 years of Moroccan independence.[17]
The Story of General Mohamed Oufkir…See more
