Mohammed VI – The Mystery: Anatomy of an Opaque Reign

In Mohammed VI – The Mystery, Thierry Oberlé conducts a dense and perceptive investigation into one of the most enigmatic monarchs of the contemporary world. Through thirty years of observations, interviews, and on‑the‑ground reporting, the journalist reveals a paradoxical figure: a king who appears modern, yet remains the heir to an absolute power shaped by centuries of Sharifian monarchy. The book is at once an intimate portrait, a political deep dive, and a narrative of Morocco’s ambiguous transformation.

A discreet, elusive, yet omnipresent sovereign

Mohammed VI is a mysterious king, nearly silent in the media. He gives no interviews, never improvises, and keeps his distance from political debates. His authority rests more on sacredness, monarchical symbolism, religious heritage, and the staging of power than on public expression.

The book describes a monarch uncomfortable with the day‑to‑day exercise of power, preferring to delegate to historical advisers (El Himma, Majidi, Mansouri) while retaining the final say. This informal delegation creates a profoundly opaque system, in which the royal circle holds the true levers of the state.

A physically weakened king, yet still at the center of the game

The king’s health is one of the book’s recurring themes: medical operations, dramatic weight loss, long absences abroad, sporadic public appearances… The book documents the fragility of an aging monarch and the extreme caution taken by the Palace to conceal his true condition.

This fragility gives particular significance to the increasing visibility of Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, already highly exposed, presented as the guarantee of monarchical continuity.

The legacy of Hassan II: authority, violence, grandeur, and raison d’État

Oberlé dedicates a substantial portion of the book to placing Mohammed VI in the continuity of his father, Hassan II:

• a sacralized power;
• a sprawling security apparatus;
• the “Years of Lead”: repression, disappearances, torture;
• the Ben Barka affair, described from both its visible and hidden angles;
• the reassertion of control over Western Sahara;
• the construction of a monarchy deeply embedded in the economy.

This genealogy sheds light on the dark zones of the current reign: the centrality of the Palace, budgetary opacity, the persistence of political justice, and the difficulty of achieving genuine state reform.

Reforms, modernization… and structural blockages

The early years of the reign were marked by bold gestures:

• the return of political exiles (Serfaty, the Ben Barka family);
• the creation of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission;
• the 2004 Moudawana reform, a historic step;
• major infrastructure projects (high‑speed rail, highways, Tanger Med).

These advances contributed to the image of a country in transformation.

But Oberlé also highlights the deep limits of these reforms:

• no real separation of powers;
• the Makhzen reconfigured under new forms;
• endemic corruption;
• muzzled press and criminalization of critical voices;
• instrumentalization of the judiciary, notably through sexual‑misconduct cases.

Morocco modernized, but without entering the democratic logic promised at the dawn of the reign.

Western Sahara: the diplomatic obsession

The book emphasizes how the Sahara has become the king’s existential dossier, at the core of all foreign policy. Morocco invests heavily in the “Southern Provinces,” mobilizes its diplomatic network, and uses migration, the economy, and trade as leverage — including pressure on Europe.

The shift by the United States and parts of Europe toward recognizing the autonomy plan is described as a major victory for Mohammed VI.

Arab Spring, Islamists, and social control

Facing the February 20 movement in 2011, Mohammed VI demonstrated notable political mastery: a rapid constitutional reform, the channeling of democratic aspirations, the controlled integration of the PJD into government… followed by the progressive electoral sidelining of the Islamist movement.

Oberlé notes that:

• political Islam is contained but not eradicated;
• society remains conservative;
• Justice and Spirituality (Al Adl Wal Ihsane) remains an invisible yet influential actor.

The Rif: a territorial fracture

For Oberlé, the Rif Hirak is the deepest wound of the reign. The anger of Al Hoceima’s population, the repression, the heavy sentences, the Nasser Zefzafi case… all reveal a structural tension between the central power and a historically marginalized region.

This section embodies the break between the reformist image of the early reign and the authoritarian reality of the system.

Private life, divorce, and the disappearance of Princess Lalla Salma

The book cautiously but precisely unveils the background of a major event:

• the silent separation of the royal couple;
• the total disappearance of Lalla Salma from public life;
• the tight control over her new existence;
• the Palace’s management of an unprecedented media crisis.

Lalla Salma, once a symbol of a modernized Morocco, disappears as much for political reasons as for protocol. A key moment in the narrative.

The “wandering king”: travel, luxury, and networks

Another striking paradox: a discreet king who is extremely mobile, often abroad — in Paris, Gabon, the Seychelles, Dubai, or Tangier.

Thierry Oberlé explores:

• his taste for international luxury;
• his vast properties;
• his yachts and residences;
• “remote governance”;
• the impact of these absences on Morocco’s political functioning.

These travels are, for some, a personal escape; for others, a sign of political disengagement.

Siblings and networks of influence: the Azaitar affair

The rise of the Azaitar brothers, MMA fighters close to the king, symbolizes a drift in the system: the entry of informal, controversial figures into the royal entourage. The episode illustrates the capricious, relationship‑driven functioning of power — capable of elevating, then sidelining, depending on the sovereign’s mood or the Palace’s agenda.

Conclusion: a complex reign, an intact monarchy

Thierry Oberlé draws a nuanced assessment:

• real but unfinished modernization;
• controlled openness followed by authoritarian tightening;
• economic progress contrasted with social inequalities;
• international prestige overshadowed by diplomatic setbacks outside the Sahara issue;
• a powerful monarchy embodied by a fragile and often absent king.

The “mystery of Mohammed VI” lies in a monarch caught between displayed modernity and political archaism, between personal freedom and institutional opacity, between genuine popularity and deep social discontent.

A key book for understanding contemporary Morocco and the inner workings of a unique reign.

By Belgacem Merbah