The Republic of the Rif ( Tarifit: ''Tagduda n Arrif'', ''Jumhūriyya ar-Rīf''), unofficially The Confederal Republic of the Tribes of the Rif, also recorded as the Riff, was a short-lived republic in northern

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...

that existed between 1921 and 1926. It was created in September 1921, when the

people A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...

of the Rif revolted and declared their independence from Spanish occupation as well as from the Moroccan Alawite sultan,

Yusef Yusuf ibn Ya'qub ibn Ishaq ibn Ibrahim ( ar, يوسف ٱبن يعقوب ٱبن إسحاق ٱبن إبراهيم, Yūsuf ibn Yaʿqūb ibn ʾIsḥāq ibn ʾIbrāhīm, ) is a prophet mentioned in the Quran, and corresponds to Joseph, a perso ...

History

In 1921, Riffians under the leadership of Abd el-Krim crushed a Spanish offensive under General Manuel Fernández Silvestre at the Battle of Annual and soon after declared an independent

republic A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...

on 18 September 1921. The republic was formally constituted in 1923 with Abd el-Krim as

Head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...

and Ben Hajj Hatmi as

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

. Abd el-Krim defeated the Spanish many times and drove them back to a few coastal outposts. He wanted to create a stable state for the Berbers to shield them from the long years of fighting. Abd el-Krim sent diplomatic representatives to London and Paris to try to establish diplomatic relations with Europe. In late 1925, the French and Spanish created a joint task force of half a million men supported by tanks and aircraft. From 1923 onwards, the Spanish used chemical weapons imported from Germany. The Republic of the Rif was dissolved by Spanish and French occupation forces on 27 May 1926, after the long and bloody battles of the Rif War, but many Rif guerrillas continued to fight until 1927.

References

{{Authority control 1921 establishments in Africa 1926 disestablishments Rif Rif Rif Rif Republicanism in Morocco Berber history Separatism in Morocco Rif States and territories established in 1921 States and territories disestablished in 1926 Morocco–Spain relations Former countries of the interwar period Islamic states Former countries Short-lived governments and regimes

History

See also

References