Hassan II,
King of Morocco since 1961, died on 23 July 1999 at the age of 70, in the capital of
Rabat. His death was announced in the evening by his eldest son, Crown Prince
Sidi Mohammed, who succeeded him as King Mohammed VI. Hassan's remains were interred at the
Mausoleum of Mohammed V in Rabat on 25 July, following an Islamic funeral ceremony.
The Moroccan government officially declared a period of mourning following Hassan's death; representatives of multiple countries, as well as the United Nations, offered condolences.
Background
Hassan acceded to the throne of Morocco following
his father's death on 26 February 1961.
During a visit to New York in 1995, Hassan was admitted to hospital due to respiratory issues, at which point he was advised by his doctors to quit smoking.[1] In contrast to King
Hussein of Jordan, Hassan reportedly preferred to avoid treatment outside his home country.[2]
Hassan's 70th birthday was marked on 9 July 1999. In the weeks prior to his death, on 14 July, he attended the annual
Bastille Day military parade in Paris, after which he hosted President
Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen for an official dinner in Rabat on 21 July.[1][3]
Death
Hassan II's health began to decline progressively in the early hours of 23 July. After being admitted to the
Royal Palace clinic at 08:00 (
UTC), he was placed under observation and responded normally to treatment. At around noon, he fell into a comatose state due to a
myocardial infarction and was transferred to the
CHU Ibn Sina [
fr] hospital, which later released an official statement indicating that the king was "suffering from acute
pneumopathy".[3][4][5]
By this time, Hassan's two sons, Crown Prince
Sidi Mohammed and Prince
Moulay Rachid, were at his bedside, with his nephew Prince
Moulay Hicham boarding a flight bound for Rabat from Paris, while Moroccan state television began broadcasting recitals of the
Quran.[2] At 14:15, Sidi Mohammed called Prime Minister
Abderrahmane Youssoufi to inform him of his father's declining health.[2] Hassan II was pronounced dead at 16:30.[6]
Mohammed made a speech publicly announcing Hassan's death at 20:40. He then formally assumed the throne as King Mohammed VI, with Moulay Rachid becoming crown prince, in an official ceremony also attended by Princes Moulay Hicham and
Moulay Ismail, and members of the government and royal cabinet.[6][7]
Reactions
His Majesty has passed away this afternoon at 4:30 p.m. of a cardiac arrest as a result of complications that could not be treated. [...] On this painful occasion, I express my deep condolences to the faithful people of Morocco, which has always shown its love, faith and loyalty to this courageous king.[1]
Following the announcement of the king's death, hundreds of mourners visited the Royal Palace in Rabat, while an anchor on Moroccan state television openly cried.[8] A 40-day period of national mourning was declared, with flags due to be flown at half-mast at public and semi-public institutions, as well as Moroccan diplomatic missions abroad.[8][9][7]Libération reported that the stock market and public services reopened on 25 July, in spite of the mourning period.[10]
The
Polisario Front, which
fought a war with Morocco from 1975 to 1991, said Hassan "would be remembered for ruling the disputed territory with ruthless oppression".[11] Polisario leader
Mohamed Abdelaziz, in a telegram to King Mohammed VI, said Hassan's death was "tragic news which has deeply afflicted us".[12]
International
Algerian president
Abdelaziz Bouteflika said that Hassan's death was "a source of great sadness for me personally and for the majority of Algerians who are proud of the joint heritage between Algeria and Morocco".[13] Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak referred to the king as "a brother, friend and comrade-in-arms", while President
Omar al-Bashir of Sudan described him as "a symbol of moderateness whose support was sought by all", adding that he had been "a brother and a friend and a messenger of peace among nations".[13] Official mourning was declared in several Arab states.[13][14][15][9]
Israeli president
Ezer Weizman referred to Hassan as a "true partner" in the
Israeli–Palestinian peace process,[16] while former prime minister
Shimon Peres said that Hassan "contributed a great deal" to the peace process.[8] Palestinian leader
Yasser Arafat paid homage to "King Hassan II's stances in defence of the Palestinian people and their right to establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital".[13] Following the announcement of Hassan's death, Arafat suspended a meeting of Palestinian leadership in
Gaza.[13] The Palestinian leadership declared three days of official mourning.[8]
French president
Jacques Chirac, then on an official visit to Nigeria, expressed his "immense pain", referring to Hassan II as "a man who loved our country and who loved the French".[17] A planned gala dinner co-hosted by Chirac and Nigerian President
Olusegun Obasanjo was cancelled following the king's death.[17] French Prime Minister
Lionel Jospin remarked that "throughout his reign, marked by a unique relationship of friendship and trust between Morocco and France, the King has embodied the fundamental values of his country, in its traditions as well as in its openness to the world".[17]
US President
Bill Clinton released an official statement saying that the "prayers of all Americans go out to the royal family and the people of Morocco".[18] In a later interview, he remarked that Hassan had "worked very hard to reconcile the differences among the Moroccan people, within Morocco, and therefore, to set an example of the kind of thing that all of us should be doing".[19] Russian President
Boris Yeltsin, in a telegram of condolences, referred to Hassan as "a wise leader who had worked tirelessly for peace".[11]Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, said that Hassan would be remembered for "dedication and fortitude", while Queen
Elizabeth II sent a message of condolences to King Mohammed VI.[11][20]
United Nations Secretary-General
Kofi Annan remarked, "By serving as a bridge of peace between different nations and cultures, King Hassan made Morocco itself a bridge of understanding and cooperation between Europe and Africa, North and South, East and West."[8] During a plenary meeting of the
United Nations General Assembly on 28 July, President
Didier Opertti and representatives of the
United Nations Regional Groups paid tribute, and a minute of silence was observed.[21]
Funeral
Islamic custom dictates that a burial should take place as soon as possible after death, usually within 24 hours.[22] The Moroccan cabinet, headed by Abderrahmane Youssoufi, held an extraordinary meeting on 24 July to discuss implementation and preparations for the funeral,[7][23] which was to be delayed by a day to allow time for foreign dignitaries to travel to Rabat.[24]
At approximately 15:00 (UTC) on 25 July, Hassan's coffin, draped in a cloth depicting the
Shahada in golden writing, was placed on a gun carriage after being carried out of the Royal Palace hall, and the
national anthem was sung. His relatives, including King Mohammed VI and Crown Prince Moulay Rachid, followed the procession.[24][25][26] The route itself was lined by hundreds of thousands of Moroccans, many of them crying, holding pictures of King Hassan, or praying; some cases of fainting were reported.[24][27]
Following the arrival of the coffin at the
Mausoleum of Mohammed V, a congregation at the nearby
al-Hassan Mosque, which included senior members of the Moroccan royal family, performed the
Asr prayer, followed by the
salat al-janazah (funeral prayer), before Hassan's remains were buried within the mausoleum.[24][25]
Foreign dignitaries
Representatives from over 45 countries were present in Rabat for the funeral, including 36 heads of state and government. Many dignitaries marched in front of the coffin of King Hassan II during the funeral processions, with only Muslim foreign representatives attending the funeral service at the al-Hassan Mosque.[23][26]
Hafez al-Assad, President of Syria, was expected to attend the funeral, but for unknown reasons cancelled his attendance immediately beforehand.[28][29]