Morocco Delivers Military Vehicles to Liberia as AFL Soldiers Prepare for Commando Training
A Moroccan Royal Armed Forces C-130 transport aircraft delivered four vehicles and other equipment to the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) at Roberts International Airport on Monday 19 October 2026, Liberian media reported. On its return trips the aircraft was expected to carry AFL soldiers to Morocco for commando training under a defence agreement the two countries signed a year ago.
What was delivered
The AFL Chief of Staff, Major General Davidson Fayiah Forleh, said the consignment included two tactical vehicles and two sport utility vehicles, along with other equipment he did not list, according to The Liberian Post and the Liberian Investigator. The flight was the first of two scheduled between 19 and 22 October. No value was disclosed. The equipment was described as a donation.
Commando training
About 140 AFL personnel are to be trained as special forces commandos in Morocco, according to the Liberian Investigator, The New Dawn and Oracle News. Figures given at the ceremony ranged from 140 to 150; Forleh put the overall target at about 150, travelling in phases, and said about 95% of the selected candidates had passed medical screening. The final number who departed and the length of the course were not announced.
Agreement and wider cooperation
The cooperation rests on an agreement signed in Rabat on 21 October 2025 by Liberia’s Defence Minister Geraldine Janet George. It covers military training, exercises, technical assistance and military health, and set up a joint military commission that meets alternately in Rabat and Monrovia, the Liberian Investigator reported. Forleh visited Morocco in September 2026, held talks with General Mohammed Berrid and signed a memorandum of understanding on support for the AFL.
Liberian officials said Morocco would also help Liberia set up a military air wing by training pilots and technicians. AFL delegations have met the Royal Moroccan Navy and its naval academies to discuss support for the Liberia Coast Guard, and the two militaries are working with the Mohammed V Military Hospital in Morocco on medical staff exchanges and specialist referrals. No timeline or cost has been published for any of these strands.
Speakers at the handover included Liberia’s ambassador to Morocco, Joseph F. Johnson, Moroccan chargé d’affaires Lahoucine Rahmouni and Senator Momo T. Cyrus, who chairs the Senate defence committee, according to The Liberian Post.
Context
The AFL has relied heavily on foreign partners for training and equipment since it was rebuilt after Liberia’s civil wars, the Liberian Investigator noted. Forleh said about 600 recruits were currently in training. The AFL has not published the value, specifications or maintenance arrangements for the donated equipment. DefenceMENA’s ranking of West African militaries sets out the region’s force sizes.
Sources
- The Liberian Post: Morocco donates military vehicles as AFL soldiers head for commando training (22 October 2026)
- Liberian Investigator via AllAfrica: Morocco flies in military vehicles for AFL as 140 soldiers head for commando training (20 October 2026)
- The New Dawn: Morocco bolsters Liberia’s military (20 October 2026)
- Oracle News: Liberia, Morocco to train 140 special forces commandos, build military air wing (23 October 2026)
