France, Spain and the Rif, Part 2 - Walter Burton Harris

Dive into the tumultuous era of the Rif War, a brutal conflict between 1921 and 1926 that marked a dark chapter in colonial history. This five-year struggle was not only a desperate attempt by Spain to assert control over a territory in North Africa granted to them by France, but it was also a catastrophic venture that left a deep scar on all parties involved—the Spanish, the French, and the Rifian people. With over forty thousand Spanish casualties and a nation left humiliated, the war set the stage for the fall of Alfonso XIII, civil unrest, and the rise of Franco. Meanwhile, the French Republic, entangled in its own colonial ambitions in Morocco, faced eighteen thousand casualties. The conflict sparked widespread outrage among the French left and served as a catalyst for anti-colonial movements that would echo for decades. Ultimately, the valiant resistance led by Abd El-Krim’s Republic of the Rif was crushed by a formidable opposing force, numbering nearly half a million troops, equipped with tanks and aircraft. The use of chemical weapons against civilian populations further darkened this already grim narrative. Interestingly, during the war, Spain and France signed the Geneva Protocol to prohibit chemical weapons—though the treaty would not take effect until 1928. It’s a poignant reminder of the moral complexities of war. This gripping account is narrated by Alister, based on the observations of Walter Burton Harris, a British correspondent for The Times who had deep ties to Morocco since 1887.