Abdelaziz Bennani
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Abdelaziz Bennani عبد العزيز بناني | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Inspector General of the Armed Forces and commander of the southern zone | |
| In office 27 July 2004 – 13 June 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Abdelhak Kadiri |
| Succeeded by | Bouchaib Arroub |
| Commander of the southern zone | |
| In office 1983 – 13 June 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Ahmed Dlimi |
| Succeeded by | Bouchaib Arroub |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 September 1935 |
| Died | 20 May 2015 (aged 79) |
| Children | Yahya Bennani Oussama Bennani |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Morocco |
| Branch/service | Royal Moroccan Army |
| Years of service | 1956–2014 |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | Western Sahara War |
General Abdelaziz Bennani (Arabic: عبد العزيز بناني – b. 28 September 1935, Taza, d. 20 May 2015, Rabat) was a senior Moroccan Army officer who was, between 27 July 2004 and 13 June 2014, "General Inspector of the Armed Forces", the professional head of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, succeeding General Abdelhaq Kadiri.[2][3][4] He was the commander of the Southern Zone since the death of General Ahmed Dlimi.[5]
On 13 June 2014 and after reports which stated that he was in poor health and following treatment in France, Bennani was replaced, as the Inspector General of the Moroccan army and commander of the southern zone, by general Bouchaib Arroub.[6]
Like other high-ranking officials of the Moroccan military, few personal details about Bennani are known. He was part of a class of military conscripts (The Promotion Mohammed V) who in 1957, followed six-months training in the French military school Saint Cyr, under the supervision of then Crown Prince Hassan, after which they received the officer rank.[1]
Family
His son Yahya Bennani is the Moroccan ambassador in Kuwait and previously worked in the Moroccan external intelligence service, the DGED.[7][8]
Corruption allegations
The Moroccan military is plagued by corruption.[9][10] A leaked U.S diplomatic cable from 2008, cited that it is particularly prevalent amongst the highest ranks.[10] The cable went on to directly accuse Abdelaziz Bennani of corruption:[10]
Credible reports indicate that Lt Gen Benanni is using his position as the Commander of the Southern Sector to skim money from military contracts and influence business decisions. A widely believed rumor has it that he owns large parts of the fisheries in Western Sahara. Benanni, like many senior military officers, has a lavish family home that was likely built with money gleaned from bribes
— Thomas T. Riley, MOROCCO'S MILITARY: ADEQUATE, MODERNIZING, BUT FACING BIG CHALLENGES 4 August 2008
In his 2006 book, "Les Officiers de Sa Majesté" Mahjoub Tobji, a former commandant in the Moroccan army, also accused Bennani, among other high-ranking officers, of corruption and embezzlement. Tobji cited, in addition to fisheries in Western Sahara operated by high-ranking officers, racketeering of Russian and Norwegian ships fishing illegally south of Agadir and bribes in contracts of meat imported from Argentina and Australia for the army. Tobji also reported a number of other alleged corrupt practices.[11]
