On Friday, May 9, Morocco and Côte d’Ivoire signed the first military cooperation agreement in their history. The signing took place during the official visit to the kingdom by Ivorian Minister of Defense, Téné Birahima Ouattara, who was received by Abdeltif Loudyi, Morocco’s Minister Delegate in charge of National Defense Administration.

The agreement covers several areas including training, military health, and technical assistance. It aims to strengthen collaboration between the Royal Armed Forces of Morocco and the Armed Forces of Côte d’Ivoire. In reality, this agreement formalizes a military cooperation that has already been very active for over a decade.

The two countries have worked closely in the area of military training for more than ten years. This signing is the result of discussions that began several months ago, notably through exchanges between the Ivorian Embassy in Rabat and the Moroccan Ministry of National Defense Administration.

Beyond training, the agreement also includes provisions for joint exercises, military health cooperation, technical support, and the exchange of expertise, according to a statement from the Moroccan Defense Administration.

The Ivorian Minister emphasized the strategic and high-priority nature of this partnership with Morocco.

This agreement will further strengthen ties between Rabat and Abidjan. Morocco is already Côte d’Ivoire’s second most important military training partner after France. Each year, around a hundred Ivorian personnel—including army, special forces, navy, and gendarmerie—are sent to Moroccan military academies, including the prestigious Royal Military Academy in Meknès. In turn, Moroccan instructors are regularly deployed to Côte d’Ivoire for training missions.

Morocco has long cultivated strong military cooperation ties across the West African sub-region.