Thami El Glaoui
Ben Arafa was placed on the Alouite throne on 21 August 1953 after his cousin Mohammed V was deposed, by the French authorities, which maintained a protectorate in Morocco under the 1912 Treaty of Fez. General Augustin Guillaume, who had been resident-general of Morocco since 1951, had clashed with Mohammed V because of the latter's support for the Moroccan independence movement and led a campaign to overthrow him, which was supported by the French colonists and some Moroccan leaders, such as Thami El Glaoui the Pasha of Marrakesh. Eventually, the sultan was arrested, loaded onto an aeroplane and sent into exile - first in Corsica, and later in Madagascar. Despite Mohammed V's refusal to abdicate, the Ulama of Fez recognised Ben Arafa as his successor.