Who Really Rules Morocco? The “Shadow Men” Pulling the Strings Amid Mohammed VI’s Absences
✍️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada
Algiers, Algeria | For a kingdom often marketed to the world as a bastion of stability, Morocco today stands as a textbook example of hollow monarchy—where the king is absent, the institutions are cosmetic, and real power is exercised by a tight-knit circle of “shadow men” whose influence eclipses that of elected officials.
As Spanish daily El Independiente revealed, King Mohammed VI, now in his 26th year on the throne, spends more time abroad—in his luxurious residences in France and Gabon—than in Morocco itself. His prolonged absences, even from high-level diplomatic meetings such as those with Spain, have left the country in the hands of unelected figures, a parallel power structure that operates behind palace walls. The question thus emerges with force: Who governs Morocco today?
A Monarch in Retreat, a Fortune in Expansion
Mohammed VI, who turned 62 this August, is described as aloof, silent, and increasingly disengaged from the day-to-day affairs of state. Instead, he indulges in luxury, with a personal fortune estimated at €7 billion, making him the fifth-richest monarch in the world. When he ascended the throne in 1999, his wealth was a fraction of that—about €450 million.
Today, his empire spans 12 palaces, a fleet of 600 luxury cars (including Ferraris, Bentleys, and Cadillacs), and the extravagant Badis 1 yacht worth €90 million. His economic grip extends over every Moroccan household: whether staying at Atlas Hotels, shopping at Marjane supermarkets, or banking with Attijariwafa Bank, citizens unwittingly fatten the king’s coffers. The monarchy is less a symbol of unity than a giant conglomerate—with the king as its CEO.
The De Facto Ruler: Fouad Ali El Himma
When Mohammed VI retreats to Paris or Pointe-Denis, Morocco effectively falls under the control of Fouad Ali El Himma, a childhood friend and today the king’s most trusted advisor. Born in Marrakech in 1962, El Himma is widely referred to as the “Vice-King.”
El Himma orchestrates Morocco’s most sensitive dossiers, from the crackdown on dissent to the aggressive diplomacy on Western Sahara. He was behind the calculated crisis with Spain in 2021, when Morocco weaponized migration through Ceuta to punish Madrid for hosting Polisario leader Brahim Ghali for medical treatment. This maneuver triggered a diplomatic earthquake, even forcing Spain’s foreign minister to resign.
His influence extends beyond diplomacy: he co-founded the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), a tool for consolidating palace control over politics, before retreating into the shadows as Royal Counselor in 2011. Leaked U.S. diplomatic cables (Wikileaks, 2010) tied him to widespread corruption and “monstrous greed” within the royal entourage—allegations met not with accountability but with the silencing of journalists, some even jailed for “undermining state security.”
The Iron Fist: Abdelatif Hammouchi
If El Himma is the strategist, Abdelatif Hammouchi is the enforcer. Born in Taza in 1966, Hammouchi controls both the General Directorate for National Security (DGSN) and the Domestic Intelligence Service (DGST). In other words, he is Morocco’s chief of police and head of the secret services—an unprecedented concentration of power.
His name surfaced internationally in 2014 when French courts summoned him over the alleged torture of French-Moroccan citizen Zakaria Moumni at the notorious Temara secret prison. Hammouchi avoided trial by hiding behind diplomatic immunity, while Rabat retaliated by freezing judicial cooperation with France for a year. The CIA itself confirmed the existence of the Temara black site in a 6,000-page report.
Today, Hammouchi stands as the true guardian of the regime, ensuring the monarchy’s survival through surveillance, intimidation, and repression.
The Diplomatic Face: Nasser Bourita
Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, born in Tounate in 1969, has climbed the diplomatic ladder to become the monarchy’s pliant executor on the international stage. Installed as foreign minister in 2017, Bourita’s tenure is marked by two controversial legacies: cementing Trump’s recognition of Morocco’s illegitimate sovereignty over Western Sahara, and accelerating normalization with the Zionist entity.
Yet, for all his polished diplomacy, Bourita is merely a functionary—a cunning messenger whose influence depends entirely on palace backing. His most challenging dossier remains Algeria, whose rupture of relations with Rabat underscores the failure of Morocco’s aggressive and reckless foreign policy.
The Keeper of the King’s Treasure: Mounir Majidi
If El Himma is the “Vice-King” and Hammouchi the “guardian,” Mounir Majidi is the monarch’s treasurer-in-chief. Since 2000, Majidi has served as Mohammed VI’s private secretary and overseer of the king’s sprawling business empire.
Majidi’s reputation is stained by corruption scandals, with Wikileaks and Moroccan media exposing his deep involvement in embezzlement and abuse of public contracts. Yet like all palace men, he remains untouchable—his power greater than that of Morocco’s finance minister.
The Controversial Zaiter Brothers
Perhaps the most peculiar figures in the king’s circle are the Zaiter brothers, Moroccan-born fighters who grew up in Germany. Since befriending the king in 2018, particularly Abu Bakr Zaiter, the brothers have enjoyed unprecedented access to Mohammed VI, accompanying him at leisure and consolidating their influence.
Their sudden rise has sparked outrage among palace insiders, who view them as opportunists exploiting the king’s vulnerabilities and isolation. Nonetheless, their grip on the monarch has only deepened, reinforcing the image of a king increasingly detached and surrounded by questionable company.
A Hollow Monarchy, a Captive Nation
The picture that emerges is damning: Morocco is not governed by its prime minister, Aziz Akhannouch—himself a billionaire oil magnate—but by a network of shadow men: Fouad Ali El Himma, Abdelatif Hammouchi, Nasser Bourita, Mounir Majidi, and even the Zaiter brothers. Together, they rule in the king’s absence, perpetuating a system of corruption, repression, and self-enrichment.
Mohammed VI’s Morocco is less a constitutional monarchy than a corporate monarchy, where the king is both absentee landlord and shareholder-in-chief, while real decisions are made by an unelected clique. The façade of reform collapses under the weight of luxury yachts, secret prisons, and foreign lobbies.
As the king retreats into palaces abroad, the Moroccan people are left behind—caught between poverty, unemployment, and a suffocating police state. For a regime that boasts of modernization, what remains visible is a kingdom of shadows, ruled by shadow men.
📡🌍 | About Dzair Tube Media Group | 🌍📡
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📰 Dzair Tube is a trailblazer in Algerian digital journalism, delivering high-quality content in Arabic, French, and English. With more than 📈 500,000 daily clicks, it ranks among the most influential media platforms in the country.
🏆 Awarded the President of the Republic’s Prize for Professional Journalist in the Electronic Press category (🗓 October 22, 2022), Dzair Tube is widely recognized for its editorial excellence and integrity.
📱 Massive Digital Reach:
🔴 350,000+ YouTube subscribers
🔵 6 million+ followers across Facebook pages
📸 450,000+ Instagram followers
🎥 Operating from state-of-the-art studios, Dzair Tube broadcasts rich and diverse programming, including:
🗞 News | ⚽ Sports | 🎭 Entertainment | 🕌 Religion | 🎨 Culture
🗣️ Featuring interactive talk shows and exclusive interviews with prominent figures from politics, business, arts, and more, Dzair Tube serves as a key platform for public discourse and civic engagement.
📰 Its print sports daily, “Dzair Sport,” enjoys over 50,000 daily downloads via the official website—further cementing the platform’s multimedia leadership.
🎖️ Honored with the Media Leadership Award by the former Minister of Communication, Mohamed Laâgab, and celebrated at the Hilals of the Television awards, Dzair Tube continues to lead with innovation, influence, and impact.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🌐 Stay Connected:
🔗 Website: www.dzair-tube.dz
🔗 English: www.dzair-tube.dz/en
📲 Follow us on Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
