Rif revolt

It has been suggested that this article be merged with 1958 Rif riots. (Discuss) Proposed since August 2021.

Rif Revolt
Map of the Rif Republic
Date 1958-1959 Location Rif Result Defeat of the Rifan insurgents
Belligerents
Rif insurgents	Morocco
Commanders and leaders
Sellam Amezian Massoud Akjouj Abd el-Krim	Hassan II Mohamed Oufkir Mohamed Meziane
Strength
Unknown	30000
Casualties and losses
3000 killed	At least 1000 killed

The Rif revolt or Rif uprising, is a set of events that took place from 1958 to 1959 in the Rif, after the independence of Morocco. The Rifans rose up to protest against government policies of marginalisation and neglect of the north.^[1][2]

Context[]

The Rif was at that time the stronghold of the Moroccan National Liberation Army (ALN). This liberation army was founded on 2 October 1955 under the impetus of Abdelkrim El Khattabi, who at the time had called on several Berber warlords from the Atlas and the Rif to work together.^[3]

This movement was very active in the Rif in 1955, with skirmishes against French positions. The ALN supporters were in favour of armed struggle while the Istiqlal Party supporters were negotiating independence with France and Spain. This was finally obtained in 1956 and it was the Istiqlal that took power in Morocco.^[3]

The ALN refused to recognise this independence because France and Spain were still present in Morocco and therefore continued the armed struggle in the Rif and in the Atlas, entering into open conflict with the Istiqlal party. The latter, led by Abdelkhalek Torres, Mehdi Ben Barka and Allal Al Fassi, committed numerous crimes (assassinations and kidnappings) against ALN sympathisers. Haddou Aqchich and Abbas Lamsaadi, fighters and emblematic figures of the ALN were assassinated. The Riffian population, feeling more and more marginalised and attacked by the Istiqlal party in power, decided to revolt in October 1958.^[4][5]

Timeline[]

According to the Moroccan researcher Hsain Ilahiane, the revolts were ignited by the closure of the Algerian border to Rif migration, leading to unemployment, in addition to the total lack of Rif political representation in the Moroccan government.^[2]

In the midst of this discontent, one of the Rifain leaders of the Democratic Independence Party came forward to present the grievances of the Rifains to the government in Rabat.

On 11 November 1958, Ameziane of the PDI and two other members from the Rif, Abdel Sadaq Khattabi and Abdelkrim al-Khattabi's son, Rachid, presented an 18-point programme for the Rif to Mohammed V. This programme encompassed the concerns of the Rifans, ranging from the evacuation of foreign troops from the Rif, the return of Abdelkrim al-Khattabi to Morocco, job creation, political representation and tax reductions. However, before this programme was presented to the king, the Rif revolt had already started for almost three weeks. On 25 October 1958, the Istiqlal Party offices in Imzoûrene were stormed and government soldiers were overpowered. It was here that the uprising took the form of a real revolt.^[2]

On 26 December, a harka (a punitive expedition) was decided. The Moroccan prince Hassan II directed the operations from Tetouan. On the ground, it was Commander Oufkir who directed the most decisive operations. Four fifths of the army, i.e. 20,000 men, were deployed in the region. To legitimise this action, Mohammed V gave a speech on 5 January 1959. He castigated the insurgents and gave them forty-eight hours to surrender. In reality, the operations had already started on 2 January 1959.^[6] In parallel to the military operations, the monarchy imposed a media blackout. Journalists, especially foreigners, are banned from the region. Those who dare to venture there without permission are arrested and turned away. This is the case of the correspondents of several French, English and American media. Moroccan newspapers, whatever their political colour, are content to reproduce the information blown to them by the authorities and to publish editorials on command crying conspiracy. Publications that deviate from the official script are automatically censored.^[7]

Although very poorly armed and with almost no foreign support, Ameziane's two to three thousand men (mainly ex-Spanish Legion, ALN and Khattabi's army) inflicted several severe defeats on the royal army. About a thousand soldiers lost their lives. The Crown Prince's plane was even shot down by insurgent fire, but Hassan escaped. The fighting was so fierce, especially in the Beni Ouriaghel and Gueznaya, that the army resorted to aviation, artillery and (French) tanks to gain the upper hand. It was only two weeks later that the insurgents were routed. Their leaders were either arrested or fled. Amezian took refuge in Spain at first, then went to Egypt and Iraq.^[7]

Aftermath[]

After the end of the uprising, the Rif was subjected to military rule for several years and the most ruinous legacy of the uprising was the complete neglect and marginalisation of the region by the Moroccan authorities over the next four decades.

References[]