UAE Refutes Claims of Reducing Moroccan Police Officers, No Official Decision Made

"These are not decisions that are taken lightly and we are not aware of such a decision, which normally should have been officially notified to Morocco," sources told Maghreb Intelligence. In other words, the United Arab Emirates has not officially notified Morocco of such a decision.

In early January 2020, many online media outlets, including Bladi.net, had relayed the information published by Middle East Monitor. According to this media, which cited an anonymous source close to the law enforcement authorities in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, the Emirati Deputy Prime Minister, Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, would have "ordered the reduction" of the number of Moroccans enrolled in the Emirati police from 916 to around 600, and to replace them with Bangladeshis. This decision would have been motivated by the cooling of relations between Rabat and Abu Dhabi, it was reported.

Morocco remains and continues to be a strategic partner for several Gulf countries with which it has signed agreements. The kingdom continues to deploy military contingents, gendarmes and police officers in these countries for specific operations.