Kingdom
Forest fires: On the eve of the summer season, Morocco strengthens its response capacities
More than 200 professionals from various bodies and services took part in FOREX’26, supported by an aerial fleet including Canadair aircraft from the Royal Air Force as well as Turbo Thrush aircraft operated by the Royal Gendarmerie. This illustrates the importance placed on the continuous strengthening of response capabilities and on integrating aerial assets into the National Strategy to Combat Forest Fires.
A national interdepartmental simulation exercise, known as FOREX’26, was held on Wednesday in the forest massifs of Dar Chaoui, within the Tangier–Assilah Prefecture, as part of the implementation of the guidelines set out in the Master Plan for Integrated Forest Fire Management.
Conducted ahead of the summer season, this strategic exercise forms part of a proactive approach aimed at strengthening national capacities for preparedness, coordination, and response to forest fires, through the joint mobilisation of all stakeholders involved in emergency management, according to a statement from the National Agency for Water and Forests (ANEF).
To this end, substantial human, logistical, and operational resources—both ground-based and aerial—were deployed by the various institutional partners, notably the Ministry of the Interior, the Royal Armed Forces, the Royal Gendarmerie, the Royal Air Force, Civil Protection, the Auxiliary Forces, and ANEF, the same source added.
This full-scale exercise made it possible to test, under conditions close to real-life scenarios, the effectiveness of early warning systems, the fluidity of information transmission mechanisms, as well as the responsiveness and interoperability of the various actors within a unified command framework, based on existing operational procedures.
It also represented a major opportunity to assess interinstitutional coordination capacities and to optimise decision-making in a crisis context.
More than 200 professionals from various bodies and services took part in the exercise, supported by an aerial fleet notably including Canadair aircraft of the Royal Air Force as well as Turbo Thrush aircraft operated by the Royal Gendarmerie, illustrating the importance attached to the continuous strengthening of response capabilities and to the integration of aerial assets into the National Strategy to Combat Forest Fires.
Beyond its operational dimension, FOREX’26 made it possible to identify best practices, consolidate achievements, and draw essential strategic lessons for the continuous improvement of the national response system, it is noted.
The feedback and lessons learned from this exercise will help further refine prevention, coordination, and response mechanisms, with a view to enhancing resilience in the face of growing risks linked to climate change and the intensification of pressures on forest ecosystems.
Through this initiative, the partners reaffirm their shared commitment to an integrated, anticipatory, and coordinated approach aimed at sustainably preserving the national forest heritage, protecting populations, and strengthening the Kingdom’s environmental security, the statement concludes.
