1958 Rif riots

Failed revolt in Morocco October 2020 Rif Revolt October 1958 – early 1959 Rif region, northern Morocco Morocco Kingdom of Morocco supported by: France France Mohammed VPrince HassanMohamed Oufkir Sellam Amezian Riffian insurgents 2,000–8,000 estimated killed8,420 capturedThe death of Mohsen Fikri and the long history of oppression and protest in Morocco's Rif https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/north-africa-west-asia/mohsen-fikris-death-exposes-history-of-oppression-and-protest-in-moroccos/ 2022-02-18 openDemocracy en ~1,000 killedMouline Nabil Qui sera l'État ? Le soulèvement du Rif reconsidéré (1958-1959) https://cjb.hypotheses.org/186 2021-07-17 Le carnet du Centre Jacques Berque fr-FR 20,000–30,000Iskander Natasha https://books.google.com/books?id=U8TZm8nl1ccC&q=3%2C000+dead Creative State: Forty Years of Migration and Development Policy in Morocco and Mexico 2010 Cornell University Press 978-0-8014-7599-3 66 en Unknown * Uprising quelled by state forces Continued marginalization and disenfranchisement of the Rif region The 1958 Rif riots, Rif Revolt or Rif uprisingar انتفاضة الريف Intifāḍat al-Rīf; In Tarifit, it is known by multiple names like Assouggas n'Ouedhra (year of the mountain),Slyomovics Susan https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Performance_of_Human_Rights_in_Moroc/VXZ0BAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Assouggas%20N%20Ouedhra&pg=PA50&printsec=frontcover The Performance of Human Rights in Morocco 2005-02-09 University of Pennsylvania Press 978-0-8122-1904-3 50 enWyrtzen Jonathan https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Making_Morocco/a8tHDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Ait%20Waryaghar&pg=PA281&printsec=frontcover Making Morocco: Colonial Intervention and the Politics of Identity 2016-01-05 Cornell University Press 978-1-5017-0425-3 281 en rif Aseggʷas iqebbaren (year of the helmets) and rif Aseggʷas n tfaḍist (year of the lentisks).Bouyaala Khalid 2017 Rif : la répression de 1958-59. Contexte et enjeux politiques https://journals.openedition.org/encyclopedieberbere/4523 Encyclopédie berbère 41 6908–6916 10.4000/14u2k 1015-7344 took place in the northern Rif region of Morocco by tribes rebelling against the Moroccan government, motivated by the region's marginalization.Le fellah marocain, défenseur du trône, de Rémy Leveau p.111 (version online)Ilahiane Hsain https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Historical_Dictionary_of_the_Berbers_Ima/0E8qp_k515oC?hl=en&gbpv=0 Historical Dictionary of the Berbers Imazighen 2006-07-17 Scarecrow Press 978-0-8108-6490-0 107–108 081085452X fr The revolt, led by Sellam Amezian, had a clear set of demands: political and social rights, the departure of foreign troops from the country, the return of the resistance leader Abd el-Krim from exile, the dissolution of political parties, the liberation of political prisoners, and the installation of a "people's government" (gouvernement populaire).Abouzzohour Yasmina 2021 How Do Liberalized Autocracies Repress Dissent? Evidence from Morocco https://muse.jhu.edu/article/800103 The Middle East Journal 75 2 276–277 10.3751/75.2.14 1940-3461 238800898 subscription Despite their anti-government and anti-Istiqlal agenda, the protestors were still monarchists. Prince Hassan, who was then the military chief of staff, promulgated a decree that put the Rif region in a state of emergency and led an army of 20,000–30,000 soldiers to contain the uprising. The soldiers were aided with air support from French pilots. Estimates around 2,000–8,000 inhabitants of the region were killed and thousands more injured. According to El-Khattabi, 8,420 were taken as political prisoners. 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.Yabiladi.com Armée de libération marocaine #1 : Aux origines de la création https://www.yabiladi.com/articles/details/71129/armee-liberation-marocaine-origines-creation.html 2021-07-17 www.yabiladi.com fr 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. A source of discontent for Riffians and especially the Ait Waryaghar was that rather than their own people being appointed to the new local administration of Al Hoceima after independence, French-speaking Istiqlal supporters from the "southern zone" (the area of Morocco previously colonised by the French) were appointed and given positions of power. For example, one of the first governors of the province was a black Casablancan who was compared to Bou Hmara's black general Jilali Mul l-Wudhu.Hart David Montgomery David Montgomery Hart https://archive.org/details/theaithwaryagherofthemoroccanrifdavidhart/page/n429/mode/2up The Aith Waryaghar of the Moroccan Rif: An Ethnography and History 1976 University of Arizona Press 978-0-8357-5290-9 427 en 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.Mémoires d'un combattant http://www.mondeberbere.com/insurrection-rif.html 2021-07-17 Mondeberbere.com frYabiladi.com Soulèvement du Rif (1958) : Lorsqu'Abdelkrim Khattabi a demandé le soutien de Gamal Abdel Nasser https://www.yabiladi.com/articles/details/64011/soulevement-1958-lorsqu-abdelkrim-khattabi-demande.html 2021-07-17 www.yabiladi.com fr 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. In October 1958, riots started in the Rif region,MOROCCO BATTLES MOUNTAIN REBELS; Mild Uprising in Rif Tribes Said to Be Led by Men of Outlawed Party – (New York Times – 1958) as a result of marginalization of the region by the central authority. Sellam Amezian directed this movement. On 7 October 1958, the protesters issued a chart with a list of demands including "The immediate withdraw of all foreign forces from Morocco, and the return of Abd el-Krim and his family to the country".Rif Uprising of 1958 – When Khattabi Asked for Abdel Nasser's Support – Yabiladi (2018) – In French Although very poorly armed and with almost no foreign support, Ameziane's two to three thousand men (mainly ex-Spanish Legion, the 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. 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 Riffians, 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.Hart David David Montgomery Hart https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Arabs_and_Berbers/3k13x46zTmcC?hl=en Arabs and Berbers: From Tribe to Nation in North Africa 1973 Duckworth 978-0-7156-0639-1 Gellner Ernest Ernest Gellner 46–48 en The tribe in modern Morocco: two case studies Micaud Charles Charles Micaud 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. 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.Mouline Nabil Qui sera l'État ? Le soulèvement du Rif reconsidéré (1958-1959) https://cjb.hypotheses.org/186 2021-07-17 Le carnet du Centre Jacques Berque fr-FR The events escalated quickly, and weapons started to be used by both the protesters and the army. The uprising was fiercely oppressed by the army, even using aircraft flown by French pilots. Hundreds were killed and thousands were arrested and wounded. Abd El-Karim estimated the number of detainees in the wake of the Rif uprising at 8,420.The death of Mohsen Fikri and the long history of oppression and protest in Morocco's Rif – Open Democracy (2016). 18-point programme The 18-point programme was submitted to Mohammed V by Sellam Ameziane and two other members of the Ait Waryaghar (Abdel Sadaq Khattabi and Abdelkrim al-Khattabi's son, Rachid) on 11 November 1958: Evacuation of all foreign troops from Morocco Formation of a popular government with a wide base Abolition of all political parties and formation of a government of national unity Local recruitment of local civil servants Freedom for all political parties Return of Abd el-Krim to Morocco Guarantees to dissidents against reprisals Choice of capable judges Reorganisation of the Ministry of Justice Bringing of criminals to justice A Riffian to be given an important post in the Moroccan government Operation Plow to be extended to the Rif Tax reduction for all of Morocco especially the Rif Creation of an ambition program against unemployment Creation of scholarships for Riffian students Rapid Arabization of education all over Morocco Creation of more rural schools Reopening of the Lycée in Al Hoceima Aftermath thumb|Mohamed Oufkir (left) and Crown Prince Moulay Hassan (right) in 1956 The Moroccan army lost about a thousand men,Mouline Nabil Qui sera l'État ? Le soulèvement du Rif reconsidéré (1958-1959) https://cjb.hypotheses.org/186 2021-07-17 Le carnet du Centre Jacques Berque fr-FR while 2,000-8,000 Riffian rebels were killed and 8,420 were captured.Abouzzohour Yasmina 2021 How Do Liberalized Autocracies Repress Dissent? Evidence from Morocco https://muse.jhu.edu/article/800103 The Middle East Journal 75 2 276–277 10.3751/75.2.14 1940-3461 238800898 subscription The death of Mohsen Fikri and the long history of oppression and protest in Morocco's Rif https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/north-africa-west-asia/mohsen-fikris-death-exposes-history-of-oppression-and-protest-in-moroccos/ 2022-02-18 openDemocracy en The brutal repression was carried out by the army under Prince Hassan while Mohamed Oufkir served as his close associate as well as being the head of the secret services. Oufkir's bloody repression of the Rif caused him to be identified as the "butcher of the Rif". Oufkir collectively punished the Rif through expropriation, crop-burning, rape, forced disappearances, torture mass executions and the displacement of people. The Ait Waryaghar were targeted in particular.Cucco Stefan Festini https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Rifian_Society_Culture_and_Politics_in_M/I7BaEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=1958%20Rif&pg=PT84&printsec=frontcover Rifian Society, Culture and Politics in Mediterranean Morocco 2025-01-31 Taylor & Francis 978-1-040-11950-1 enBelkziz Najwa Transitional Justice and Education: Engaging Young People in Peacebuilding and Reconciliation 2018-07-16 V&R unipress GmbH 978-3-7370-0837-2 Ramírez-Barat Clara 98 en Education Reforms in Transitional Justice Contexts: Memory Studies versus Human Rights Education in Morocco Schulze Martina https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Transitional_Justice_and_Education/lO5jDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=1958%20Rif%20riots&pg=PA98&printsec=frontcover Both were responsible for napalmed villages and mass arrests. After the end of the uprising, the Rif was subjected to military rule for several years. The region was left neglected by Moroccan authorities causing the region to become underdeveloped and pushing many Riffians to migrate. According to data collected by the Ministry of Labour, the Rif administrative region had labour emigration rates of 26 person per thousand and al-Hoceima administrative region had labour emigration rates of 19 persons per thousand. This was higher compared to rest of Morocco which averaged less than 10 persons per thousand. By 1974, 18% of all migration from Morocco came from Nador Province despite it only housing only 3% of the Moroccan population. A lot of the social demands put forth by the Hirak Rif Movement echoed that of the 1958 revolt. One of the demands put forth by the Hirak Rif called for the revoking of Dahir 1.58.381 issued on 24 November 1958 making Al Hoceima a military region and causing it to have a higher presence of police and army in the region.Rhani Zakaria Nabalssi Khalid and Benalioua Mariam 2022-03-04 'The Rif again!' popular uprisings and resurgent violence in post-transitional Morocco https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13629387.2020.1780921 The Journal of North African Studies 27 2 332 10.1080/13629387.2020.1780921 1362-9387 subscription See also Hirak Rif Rif War 1981 Moroccan riots Moroccan Intifada of 1984 Notes References External links Documentary on Sellam Amezian (in Arabic and Berber). Category:1958 in Morocco Category:1958 protests Category:1959 in Morocco Category:1959 protests Category:1958 riots Category:1959 riots Category:1950s revolutions Category:Civil wars of the 20th century Category:Berber history Category:Civil wars involving the states and peoples of Africa Category:Demonstrations Category:Rebellions in Morocco Category:Protests in Morocco Category:Rif Category:Impacts of the Algerian War