Rif Republic

Confederal Republic of the Tribes of the Rif
Tagduda n Arif
1921–1926
Flag
Territory of Spanish Morocco under control of the Rif Republic (outlined in red)
Capital		Ajdir
Languages		Riffian Berber
Religion		Islam
Government		Republic
President
•	1921–1926	Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Karim al-Khattabi
Prime Minister
•	1923–1926	Hajj Hatmi
Historical era		Interwar period
•	Established	September 18, 1921
•	Disestablished	May 27, 1926
Currency		Rif Republic riffan
Preceded by Succeeded by Spanish Morocco Spanish Morocco

The Republic of the Rif (full name The Confederal Republic of the Tribes of the Rif; Berber: Tagduda n Arif) was created in September 1921, when the people of the Rif (the Riffians) revolted and declared their independence from Spanish occupation as well as from the Moroccan sultan.

Its capital city was Ajdir, its currency the Rif Republic's Riffan, its national Independence Day was held on 18 September, and its total population was an estimated 550,000 people. The independence of the Rif was proclaimed on 18 September 1921, with Mohand Abd el-Krim as its president or leader. The Republic of the Rif was formally constituted 1 February 1923, with Abd el-Krim as head of state. Its prime minister, from July 1923 to 27 May 1926, was ben Hajj Hatmi and General Driss Riffi Temsamani was named Basha or Governor of the Rif. It was dissolved by Spanish and French occupation forces on 27 May 1926, after long and bloody battles of the Rif War in which German-designed chemical weapons were used against the Berber populations by Spanish occupation forces.

History

A One Riffan note. Produced by Captain Charles Gardiner, an English arms smuggler.

Five Riffans note. Gardiner's notes make prominent use of the English language and currency — neither of which would have meant anything to the population of the Rif, while languages they would have known, Spanish and Berber, are missing. The English spelling of "Riff" is very prominently incorrect.

The Berbers fiercely resisted both Spanish and French incursions into Morocco. However, the Berbers had been unable to consolidate power, and had continually returned to ethnic fighting and tribal division. The Great Revolt of 1912 against French rule ended in failure because the tribal alliances created during the Great Revolt came apart within months.

Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Karim al-Khattabi, previously a court judge, became the leader of the Berbers in the Rif. Having created a command and power structure, 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 give them a break from the long years of fighting. Abd el-Krim sent diplomatic representatives to London and Paris to try to establish diplomatic relations with Europe. This did not work very much because the French were anxious about the growing strength of Abd el-Krim's young republic, which could in the future drive the French occupation completely out of Morocco, if it had some time to gather forces and weapons. Abd el-Krim's rhetoric concentrated on the right to freedom of all people, an unwelcome message to the European colonial forces.

In late 1925, the French and Spanish created a joint task force of half a million men supported by tanks and aircraft. They attacked the new Republic territories with massive bombing raids, in some of which German-designed chemical weapons were used by the Spanish. The Rif Republic collapsed in May 1926.

Guerrilla elements of the army continued fighting until 1927.

See also

• Rif War (1920)
• Chemical weapons in the Rif War