The Kert campaign () was a conflict in northern
Morocco
Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
between
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
and insurgent Riffian ''
harkas'' led by
Mohammed Ameziane, who had called for a ''
jihad
''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...
'' against the Spanish occupation in the eastern
Rif. It took place between 1911 and 1912.
History
The campaign saw the introduction of the
''tropas regulares indígenas'' ("native regular troops"), created by
Dámaso Berenguer
Dámaso Berenguer y Fusté, 1st Count of Xauen (4 August 1873 – 19 May 1953) was a Spanish general and politician. He served as Prime Minister of Spain, Prime Minister during the last thirteen months of the reign of Alfonso XIII.
Biography ...
on 30 June 1911.
The campaign followed a revolt initiated by
Mohammed Ameziane,
caïd of
Segangan, who had called for a ''
jihad
''Jihad'' (; ) is an Arabic word that means "exerting", "striving", or "struggling", particularly with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it encompasses almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with God in Islam, God ...
'' and had attacked both Spanish and tribes friendly to them. After an attack on a group of Spanish military personnel undertaking topographic works at a position near Ishafen (near the river Kert) the Spanish campaign formally started on 24 August. A Spanish column had been however already shot on 30 June.
Following a visit to
Melilla
Melilla (, ; ) is an autonomous city of Spain on the North African coast. It lies on the eastern side of the Cape Three Forks, bordering Morocco and facing the Mediterranean Sea. It has an area of . It was part of the Province of Málaga un ...
, Spanish War Minister
Agustín Luque took control of the operations on 7 October, and the struggles brought numerous losses to both sides, 64 death and 204 wounded on the Spanish side. On 14 October 1911 General
Salvador Díaz Ordóñez was killed in action and a column commanded by had 33 deaths and 105 wounded.
The Spanish forces took the position of
Al Aaroui (''Monte Arruit'') on 18 January 1912.
The Spanish ended the campaign following the killing of Ameziane by native regulares on 15 May 1912.
Mohammed Sidi Baracca replaced him but
surrendered soon after.
The Spanish losses by that time amounted to about 500 killed and 1,900 wounded. The Spanish control line was extended to the Kert River and the new boundaries for the Spanish-occupied territory entailed the annexation of the Berber cabiles of
Ait Sidel and
Ait Bu-Gafar.
See also
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Hispano-Moroccan War (1859–1860)
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First Melillan campaign
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Second Melillan campaign
Citations and references
Citations
References
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{{authority control
Kert campaign
Wars involving Spain
Wars involving Morocco
Conflicts in 1911
Conflicts in 1912
Rif
African resistance to colonialism