Bouchaib Arroub

Bouchaib Arroub (Arabic: بوشعيب عروب‎; born c. 1936)[2] is a Moroccan army general. He held the position of professional chief-of-staff of the Moroccan army between 13 June 2014 and January 2017.

Bouchaib Arroub
بوشعيب عروب
Inspector General of the Armed Forces and commander of the southern zone
In office
13 June 2014 – 18 January 2017
Preceded byAbdelaziz Bennani
Succeeded byAbdelfattah Lourak
Commander of the third bureau
In office
1988[1] – 18 January 2017
Personal details
Bornc. 1936 (age 83–84)[2]
Arbaa Lgfaf, Commune of Lagfaf, Khouribga Province[3]
Military service
Allegiance Morocco
Branch/service Royal Moroccan Army
Years of service1950s–present
RankGeneral
CommandsInspector-General of the Armed Forces
Commander of the southern zone

On 13 June 2014 Arroub was appointed by king Mohammed VI into this position after the sudden death of General Abdelaziz Bennani.[4] In June 2014, reports had revealed that Bennani was in poor health and that he was following treatment in France. Arroub was also the commander of the military intelligence service (the third bureau), a position he held for a long time since the days of Hassan II (1988), after he was brought back by the monarch into important positions, since he was a member of Oufkir's cabinet as a junior officer at the time of the attempted coups of 1972 and 1971.

Life

Few details are known about Arroub. He is part of the older generation of Moroccan officers and was the chief of cabinet of Mohamed Oufkir.[1] As early as 1966 he held the rank of captain and was in command of the Benguerir military base.[5]

A Leaked US diplomatic cable from 2008, described Arroub as "historically pro-French, appears to have become increasingly pro-U.S. in the last 5 years".[6] The same cable also predicted that Arroub may succeed Bennani.[6]

General Arroub was once retired but was recalled in 2008.[6][7]

Role in the 1971 coup attempt

According to Prince Moulay Hicham, Arroub may have participated in the 1971 coup.[8] In his 2014 book, Journal D'un Prince Banni, the prince reports that Arroub was at the time a member of Oufkir's cabinet, and while the shooting was happening he was reached by Lamia Solh (wife of Prince Moulay Abdallah, and mother of Prince Hicham) to inquire about the situation, and she stated that he was very impolite with her.[8] After the failure of the coup, Hassan II was informed of the incident by Lamia Solh, the king then replied "You mean that he was part of the plotters? If that is the case, I have to execute everybody then".[8]

The prince goes on to say that the professionalism and integrity of Arroub, might have made the man come to the conclusion that the future of the country was better without the monarchy.[8] Arroub would be excluded from any position of responsibility for the following twenty years or so, before Hassan II appointed him as chief of the third bureau in 1988.[8]

The death of Hassan II and arrest of Basri

On the day of the death of Hassan II, Arroub and general Housni Benslimane reportedly had Driss Basri, then minister of the interior, briefly detained and questioned.[8] Prince Hicham questioned Arroub about the incident to which he replied that it was done as a precautionary measure.[8]

Family

Bouchaib Arroub is the father of Mohammed Ramses Arroub, an engineer and laureate of the École Polytechnique, who was the CEO of Wafa Assurance, the insurance company owned by king Mohammed VI as part of his large holding company SNI.[9] On 4 June 2014, a few days before the appointment of his father as the new Inspector General, Mohamed Ramses Arroub was excluded from this position by the board of the insurance company, which cited "personal reasons" for this decision.[9][10]

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References
  1. "الملك يعين الجنرال عروب قائدا لمنطقة الصحراء ومفتشا عاما للجيش بدل الجنرال عبد العزيز بناني". Alifpost. 13 June 2014. Archived from the original on 15 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  2. The Army Quarterly and Defence Journal, Volume 124. West of England Press. 1994. p. 204. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  3. "الرجل القوي في الجيش الجينرال بوشعيب عروب.. ولد لاربعا لكفاف الذي يشكل أحد أضلاع المثلث الذهبي للجينرالات في المغرب". Archived from the original on 15 June 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  4. "SM le Roi nomme le Général de Corps d'Armée Bouchaib Arroub, Inspecteur général des FAR, Commandant la zone Sud". Maghreb Arabe Presse. 13 June 2014. Archived from the original on 13 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  5. Mahjoub Tobji (2006). Les Officiers de Sa Majesté.
  6. Thomas T. Riley (4 August 2008). "Morocco's Military: Adequate, Modernizing, But Facing Big Challenges". US Embassy Rabat. Archived from the original on 15 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014. Arroub, who came out of recent retirement, is tipped by some to succeed Benanni.
  7. Catherine Graciet (24 March 2009). "Armée marocaine : ça sent la fin des haricots pour les vieux dinosaures". Archived from the original on 13 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  8. Prince Moulay Hicham El Alaoui. Journal d'un Prince Banni: Demain le Maroc (Grasset ed.). 9 April 2014. ISBN 978-2-246-85166-0. Au lendemain du coup d'État, nous cherchons tous à comprendre. Dans ce contexte, ma mère relate à Hassan II, avec une certaine insistance, son échange téléphonique avec le général Arroub, le jour du putsch. Le roi coupe court et lui dit : « Écoute, tu veux dire qu'il faisait partie des putschistes ? À ce moment-là, je n'ai qu'à faire exécuter tout le monde… »...Quoi qu'il en soit, malgré une répression féroce, un homme droit et un militaire aussi professionnel que le général Arroub, qui avait peut -être estimé, mû par un sentiment patriotique, que l'avenir du pays passait par la fin de la monarchie, en sera quitte pour une traversée du désert de vingt ans. À la fin de sa vie, Hassan II lui confiera de nouveau d'importantes responsabilités...Un incident me marque en particulier : je vois deux gendarmes de la sécurité rapprochée du roi secouer Driss Basri dans un bureau, à quelques mètres des généraux Arroub et Benslimane. J'entends Basri crier : « Mais arrêtez la provocation ! Arrêtez ! Je suis quand même le ministre de l'Intérieur ! » Je demande au général Arroub des explications. Il me répond que c'est « juste à titre préventif ».CS1 maint: location (link)
  9. "عروب...الجنرال الذي إعتقل إدريس البصري يتولى قيادة الصحراء" (794). الأسبوع الصحفي. 19 June 2014.
  10. "Wafa Assurance: Bencheikh remplace Arroub". L'Economiste. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
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