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47-830: Amgala was the scene of several SPLA-RMA battles. In January 1976 and again in February 1976, clashes took place in Amgala between units of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (RMA) and Polisario Front forces (SPLA), supported by units of the Algerian Army . Because of its ample supply of water, Amgala was an important place in the Saguia el-Hamra Valley and Algerian troops set up a Polisario base here where refugees could be given food and medical assistance and transported onward to Algeria. The unexpected attack by

94-701: A civilian police force, such as the Israel Border Police or "Magav", which is the gendarmerie branch of the civilian Israel Police . A few forces which are no longer considered military retain the title "gendarmerie" for reasons of tradition. For instance, the French language title of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is Gendarmerie royale du Canada (GRC) (i.e., Royal Gendarmerie of Canada) because this force traditionally had some military-style functions (although separate from

141-648: A force should be defined as a gendarmerie (e.g. Mexico's Federal Police , Brazil's Military Police , or the former British South Africa Police until 1980). Some historical military units, such as South West Africa 's Koevoet , were only defined as police for political reasons. In Russia , the modern National Guard (successor of the Internal Troops of Russia ) are military units with quasi-police duties but historically, different bodies within Imperial Russia 's Special Corps of Gendarmes performed

188-533: A result of their duties within the civilian population, gendarmeries are sometimes described as " paramilitary " rather than " military " forces (especially in the English-speaking world where policing is rarely associated with military forces) although this description rarely corresponds to their official status and capabilities. Gendarmes are very rarely deployed in military situations, except in humanitarian deployments abroad. A gendarmerie may come under

235-569: A variety of functions as an armed rural constabulary, urban riot control units, frontier guards, intelligence agents and political police. Prior to the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922, some policing was based on the Royal Irish Constabulary — initially an armed force located in police barracks, routinely unarmed after the 1880s when most civil unrest had subsided. Some consider this a gendarmerie, although this

282-448: Is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term gendarme ( English: / ˈ ʒ ɒ n d ɑːr m / ) is derived from the medieval French expression gens d'armes , which translates to " men-at-arms " ( lit.   ' people of arms ' ). In France and some Francophone nations , the gendarmerie is a branch of the armed forces that is responsible for internal security in parts of

329-537: Is about 175,000 troops strong, In case of war or a state of siege, an additional force of 150,000 Reservists and paramilitary forces, including 20,000 regulars of the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie and 30,000 Auxiliary Forces come under the Ministry of Defense command. The Moroccan Army helped with the annexation of Western Sahara which is disputed. The Moroccan Royal Guard is officially part of

376-532: Is common to many time periods and cultures. Being a French concept, the French Gendarmerie has been the most influential model for such an organisation. Many countries that were once under French rule and influence have a gendarmerie. Italy, Belgium , Luxembourg and Austria have had gendarmeries through Napoleonic influence for instance but, while Italy still has the Italian equivalent known as

423-675: Is tendentious as the subsequent Garda Síochána of the Irish Free State were also uniformly armed but not described as a gendarmerie. In China , after numerous reorganizations and transfers of control between the PLA and the MPS , the People's Armed Police , a gendarmerie service, was created on 19 June 1982. The establishment of the PAP highlighted the efforts to increase the professionalization of

470-773: The Early Modern period, the term referred to a heavily armoured cavalryman of noble birth , primarily serving in the French army. The word gained policing connotations only during the French Revolution , when the Maréchaussée of the Ancien Régime was renamed to Gendarmerie . Historically, the spelling in English was gendarmery , but now the French spelling gendarmerie is more common. The Oxford English Dictionary ( OED ) uses gendarmery as

517-769: The Rif War of 1921–26 and the Spanish Civil War of 1936–39. Moroccan Regulares , together with the Spanish Legion , made up Spain's elite Spanish Army of Africa . A para-military gendarmerie , known as the "Mehal-la Jalifianas" and modelled on the French goumieres, was employed within the Spanish Zone. The Royal Armed Forces were created on 14 May 1956, after the French Protectorate was dissolved in 1955. 14,000 Moroccan personnel from

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564-831: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is referred to in French as the Gendarmerie royale du Canada (GRC). However the RCMP is a mainly civilian organisation within Public Safety Canada . It is not part of the Canadian Department of National Defence , but does have a paramilitary wing and they have been awarded the status of a regiment of dragoons, with a military battle standard displaying their battle honours following service in World War I. Those honours include Northwest Canada, South Africa, The Great War, and

611-613: The Royal Gendarmerie , and the Royal Guard . The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces have experience in counter-insurgency , desert warfare and combined air-land operations. Further experience has come from participating in peace-keeping operations. The oldest "Moroccan" military forces are those of the Mauri Berber Kingdoms from around 225 BCE. The Moroccan army has existed continuously since 1088 during

658-637: The Royal Moroccan Navy was established in 1960. The Moroccan military's first engagement as an independent country in the 20th century was the Ifni War , followed by the Rif revolt , and then the border war of 1963 with Algeria , In the early 1960s, Moroccan troops were sent to the Congo as part of the first multifunctional UN peacekeeping operation ONUC , The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces fought on

705-556: The Sahrawi refugee camps at Tindouf , in western Algeria. Morocco said the conflict was a direct military intervention by Algeria on the side of Polisario. A second battle took place at Amgala between the 13 and 15 February 1976. On this occasion, Polisario troops defeated the small Moroccan garrison which suffered heavy casualties and were nearly wiped out. Morocco complained that the Algerians had been involved in this attack, but

752-708: The 21st century, the Royal Moroccan Air Force started a progressive modernization program of its aging fleet and its technical and operational capacities. The Royal Navy is the branch of the Moroccan Armed Forces responsible of conducting naval operations, 7,800 personnel strong Its mission includes the protection of Moroccan territory and sovereignty, as well as the control of Morocco's 280,000-square-kilometre (81,000 sq nmi) Exclusive Economic Zone. Given Morocco's significant coastline (2,952 km) and strategic position overseeing

799-674: The Canadian Army), and have even been awarded battle honours and has retained its status as a regiment of dragoons . The Argentine National Gendarmerie is a military force in terms of training, identity and public perception, and was involved in combat in the Falklands War ; however, it is classified as a "security force" not an "armed force", to exercise jurisdiction over the civilian population under Argentine law. Since different countries may make different use of institutional terms such as "gendarmerie", there are cases in which

846-601: The Carabinieri, with a second more specialized agency called Guardia di Finanza, Belgium and Austria's gendarmeries have merged with the civil police (in, respectively, 2001 and 2005). Many former French colonies, especially in Africa, also have gendarmeries. The Dutch Royal Marechaussee was created by King William I to replace the French Gendarmerie after French rule ended. The national police force of Canada,

893-603: The Central African Republic to be deployed in the UN Integrated Peace building Office (BINUCA). Moroccan authorities also said they stand ready to support the Central African Republic in its path toward peace and stability. The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces motto, which graces every military base, banner, and ship, is: "God, The Fatherland, and The King". Gendarmerie A gendarmerie ( / ʒ ɒ n ˈ d ɑːr m ər i , ʒ ɒ̃ -/ )

940-546: The Congo ) adopted a gendarmerie after independence. A similar concept exists in Eastern Europe in the form of internal troops , which are present in many countries of the former Soviet Union and its former allied countries. The word gendarme is a singular extracted from Old French gens d'armes ( pronounced [ʒɑ̃ d‿ aʁm] ), meaning " men-at-arms ". From the Late Middle Ages to

987-642: The French Army and 10,000 from the Spanish Armed Forces transferred into the newly formed armed forces, this number was augmented by approximately 5,000 former guerrillas from the "Army of Liberation", About 2,000 French officers and NCOs remained in Morocco on short term contracts until the training programs at the military academies of St-Cyr, Toledo and Dar al Bayda produced sufficient numbers of Moroccan commissioned officers. Four years later,

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1034-505: The French gendarmerie. In comparison to civilian police forces, gendarmeries may provide a more disciplined force whose military capabilities (e.g., armoured group in France with armoured personnel carriers ) make them more capable of dealing with armed groups and with all types of violence. On the other hand, the necessity of a more stringent selection process for military service, especially in terms of physical prowess and health, restricts

1081-588: The Gendarmerie to the Royal Moroccan Army, then constituting a military force in its structure, administration and command forms. It consists of officers and NCOs. Congo United Nations Operation in the Congo By 20 July 1960 Morocco had deployed 1,250 troops in Congo. Somalia UNOSOM I , UNITAF , UNOSOM II Bosnia and Herzegovina IFOR , SFOR , EUFOR Althea Kosovo Kosovo War Morocco has deployed one company of soldiers to contribute in

1128-724: The Golan front during the Yom Kippur War of 1973 (mostly in the battle for Quneitra ) and intervened decisively in the 1977 conflict known as Shaba I to save Zaire's regime. After Shaba II, Morocco was part of the Inter-African Force deployed on the Zaire border, contributing about 1,500 troops. The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces also took a symbolic part in the Gulf War among other Arab armies. Between 1975 and 1991,

1175-527: The Ivorian Government forces who control the south of the country, and the New Forces (former rebels), who control the north. The UNOCI mission aims to control a "zone of confidence" across the centre of the country separating the two parties. Central African Republic BINUCA , MINUSCA The Moroccan Royal Armed Forces has sent a contingent of 777 Moroccan soldiers on December 25, 2013 for

1222-579: The Moroccan Armed Forces fought a 16-year war against the POLISARIO , an Algerian backed rebel national liberation movement seeking the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco. From the mid-1980s on, Morocco largely managed to keep POLISARIO troops at bay by building a huge sand wall , staffed by an army roughly the same size as the entire Sahrawi population, enclosing the Southern Provinces within it. The enclosure contained most of

1269-609: The Moroccan Armed Forces took part in the Bastille Day parade on the Champs-Élysées , which was exceptional for a non-French armed forces, at the invitation of then French President Jacques Chirac . The modern Moroccan military is composed of the following branches: The Royal Moroccan Army is the branch of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The army

1316-550: The Moroccans caused much anger as well as heavy damage, and ninety-nine Algerian soldiers were captured. An all-out war between the two countries was only avoided because of decisive action by President Houari Boumediene of Algeria. After that, Algeria withdrew its troops from the area but increased its support for the rebels. Algeria claimed that their forces were only in the area to render humanitarian assistance to Sahrawi refugees fleeing from Moroccan occupation and heading for

1363-689: The NATO-led international peacekeeping force which was responsible for establishing a secure environment in Kosovo. Haiti MINUSTAH In 2004, Morocco provided an infantry company as part of a joint Spanish-Moroccan battalion, which was deployed in Fort Liberté, in the north-eastern part of Haiti. Disagreements between the United Nations and the Spanish government led to Spain´s withdrawal from

1410-555: The Royal Moroccan Army, However, it is under the direct operational control of the Royal Military Household of His Majesty the King, The sole duty of the guard is to provide for the security and safety of the King and royal family of Morocco with 1,500 personnel. The Royal Moroccan Air Force is the air force branch of the Moroccan Armed Forces, It employs 13,000 personnel and is equipped with more than 300 aircraft. In

1457-566: The Second World War. A common gendarmerie symbol is a flaming grenade , first used as insignia by the French force. Gendarmes play an important role re-establishing law and order in conflict areas, a task which is suited to their purpose, training and capabilities. Gendarmeries are widely used for internal security and in peacekeeping operations, for instance in the former Yugoslavia and in Ivory Coast , sometimes via

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1504-544: The U.S.-led Unified Task Force (UNITAF), known by its U.S. codename of 'Restore Hope' and the follow-on UNOSOM II , They saw fighting during the Battle of Mogadishu to rescue a U.S. anti-militia assault force. Other peace support involvement during the 1990s included United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) in Cambodia, and the missions in the former Yugoslavia: IFOR , SFOR , and KFOR . On 14 July 1999,

1551-812: The United Nations Security Council efforts to monitor the peace process of the Second Congo War. Ivory Coast UNOCI Morocco has deployed one infantry battalion to participate in the UNOCI peacekeeping mission whose objective is "to facilitate the implementation by the Ivorian parties of the peace agreement signed by them in January 2003" (which aimed to end the Ivorian Civil War). The two main Ivorian parties here are

1598-407: The authority of a ministry of defence (e.g. Algeria , Netherlands and Poland ), a ministry of the interior (e.g. Argentina , Romania , Turkey and Ukraine ) or even both ministries at once (e.g. Chile , France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain). Generally there is some coordination between ministries of defence and the interior over the use of gendarmes. In addition, some gendarmeries can be part of

1645-531: The authority of civilian police agencies. Since these are not strictly military forces, however, they are not considered gendarmerie. In France, the gendarmerie is in charge of rural areas and small towns (typically less than 10,000 inhabitants) which represent 95% of the territory and close to 50% of the population. Besides its territorial organization, it has crowd and riot control units (the Gendarmerie Mobile , along with some corresponding units in

1692-644: The civilian police), counter-terrorism and hostage rescue ( GIGN , again along with some corresponding units in the civilian police), maritime surveillance, police at sea and coast guard ( Gendarmerie maritime ), control and security at airports and air traffic police ( Gendarmerie des transports aériens ), official buildings guard, honorary services and protection of the President ( Garde Républicaine ), mountain rescue ( Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne ) and security of nuclear weapons sites. The use of military organisations to police civilian populations

1739-639: The economically useful parts of Western Sahara, including Bou Craa , El-Aaiun , and Smara . The Moroccan army destroyed all the posts created by the Polisario and won decisively the majority of battles, but artillery strikes and sniping attacks by the guerrillas continued, and Morocco was economically and politically strained by the war. In the 1990s, Moroccan troops went to Angola with the three UN Angola Verifications Missions, UNAVEM I , UNAVEM II , and UNAVEM III . They were also in Somalia, with UNOSOM I ,

1786-611: The latter denied the claim. Another Battle of Amgala took place on 8 November 1989. Royal Moroccan Armed Forces The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces ( Arabic : القوات المسلحة الملكية المغربية , romanized :  Al-Quwwat al-Musallaha al-Malakiyah al-Maghribiyah ) are the military forces of the Kingdom of Morocco . They consist of the Army , the Navy , the Air Force ,

1833-449: The mission, leaving the Moroccans in charge of a much larger area than what was initially designed. The last Moroccan troops left Haiti in 2006, and the area was covered by a battalion from Uruguay, which already had another unit in the South of the country. About six Moroccan Army officers served in the mission HQ during this period. Morocco has deployed 6 observers, one mechanised infantry battalion and one field hospital to participate in

1880-403: The nickname of "Todesschwalben" (death swallows) by German soldiers as they showed particular toughness on the battlefield. After the end of World War II , Moroccan troops formed part of the French Far East Expeditionary Corps engaged in the First Indochina War from 1946 to 1954. The Spanish Army also made extensive use of Moroccan troops recruited in the Spanish Protectorate , during both

1927-413: The pool of potential recruits in comparison to those from which a civilian police force could select. The growth and expansion of gendarmerie units worldwide has been linked to an increasing reluctance by some governments to use military units typically entrusted with external defence for combating internal threats. A somewhat related phenomenon has been the formation of paramilitary units which fall under

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1974-454: The principal spelling, whereas Merriam-Webster uses gendarmerie as the principal spelling. These forces are normally titled "gendarmerie", but gendarmeries may bear other titles, for instance the Carabinieri and Guardia di Finanza in Italy , the National Republican Guard in Portugal , the Guardia Civil in Spain , the Royal Marechaussee in the Netherlands or Internal Troops / National Guard in Ukraine and Russia . As

2021-511: The rising of Almoravid Empire in the 11th-century. During the protectorates period (1912–1955), large numbers of Moroccans were recruited for service in the Spahi and Tirailleur regiments of the French Army of Africa ( French : Armée d'Afrique ). Many served during World War I . During World War II more than 300,000 Moroccan troops (including goumier auxiliaries) served with the Free French forces in North Africa, Italy, France and Austria. The two world conflicts saw Moroccan units earning

2068-401: The security apparatus, as well as the absorption of numerous PLA demobilized personnel, in the wake of growing unrest. In 2014, the Mexican Federal Police , a heavily armed force which has many attributes of a gendarmerie, created a new seventh branch of service called the National Gendarmerie Division. The new force would initially number 5,000 personnel and was created with the assistance of

2115-419: The strait of Gibraltar, it (with Spain and the United Kingdom) is deeply involved in the security of this important international waterway. The Moroccan Royal Gendarmerie is the Gendarmerie body of Morocco. The legislation which founded the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie describes it as a public force designed to guarantee public security and public order and the implementation of laws. This legislation text attaches

2162-451: The term may become confusing. For instance, in the French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland the "gendarmeries" are the uniformed civil police (see: Gendarmerie (Switzerland) ). In Chile, the word "gendarmerie" refers for historic reasons to the prison service (the " Chilean Gendarmerie "), while the actual gendarmerie force is called the "carabineros". In some cases, a police service's military links are ambiguous and it can be unclear whether

2209-404: The territory (primarily in rural areas and small towns in the case of France), with additional duties as military police for the armed forces. It was introduced to several other Western European countries during the Napoleonic conquests . In the mid-twentieth century, a number of former French mandates and colonial possessions (such as Lebanon , Syria , the Ivory Coast and the Republic of

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