The battles of Anoual , frequently called disaster of Anoual in Spain, opposed a Spanish military quota to the Riffian army of Abdelkrim Al Khattabi, in the area of the Rif in July 1921. The confrontations took place to 120 km of Melilla in the north of the Morocco and mark the beginning of the Guerre of Rif.

The victory of a small troop of resistant Riffian over the Spanish army became an important symbol of the fight anticoloniale, mark a turning of resistance to the double Spanish protectorate and French founded in Morocco.

The disaster of Anoual is a defeat cuisante Spanish army . It marks the birth of a myth: that of Abdelkrim, hero of war, fine strategist and charismatic chief of resistance.

Origin

For ten years, Spain has tested many difficulties of managing the northern area of Morocco placed under its authority since 1912. Its troops run up continuously against pockets of resistance, particularly in the mountainous region of the Rif.

At the beginning of 1921, a Riffian tribe, the Blessed Ouriaghel, area of Al-Hoceïma, starts truly the hostilities. At his head, Mohamed Ben Abdelkrim Al-Khattabi, alias Abdelkrim, a young person - it is not 30 years old - wire of cadi (“judge”) of the clan of Has Youssef Ouaâli. Journalist at his hours, it studied military technology in Spain before entering the Spanish administration.

The general Manuel Fernández Silvestre, who orders the Spanish forces in the area, is convinced to deal with small band of brigands and continuous to advance towards the heart of Rif. Abdelkrim then makes him carry a warning message, that the proud general chooses to be unaware of. It charges nevertheless one with its majors, Jesus Villar, of poster 250 men with Abarran, 5 km in the west of Anoual.

June 1st, 1921, the men of Villar gave hardly an opinion who they are encircled by a thousand of Riffian combatants and are massacred. A handle of them only manage to escape, giving up their artillery with the combatants of Abdelkrim. Thanks to the catch of these guns, the latter continue, nearly two months during, their offensive. In the afternoon of July 21st, 1921, in Anoual, 3.000 Riffian combatants base on the 18.000 Spanish soldiers, forcing them to beat a retreat. At the end of three weeks of fierce combats, the Spanish quota is cut in parts (the general Fenandez Silvestre was killed in Anoual - some spoke about suicide because of the speed of the defeat ).

Consequences

The warriors of Abdelkrim recover at the conclusion of the battle, the material given up by the Spanish troops in retirement is: 20.000 rifles, 400 machine-guns, 200 guns of different gauges (of the 75, the 65 and the 77), an important stock of shell and million cartridges, trucks, provisioning of living, drugs, medical device like 2 planes. In many men, Spain lost more than 18.000 soldiers, in addition to the 1100 prisoners made by the Riffian quota.

This shingling defeat of the colonial forces is heavy consequences, on both sides of the Mediterranean. Because it is this “humiliation”, which, in 1923 in Barcelona, encourages the general Miguel Primo de Rivera with launching a Pronunciamiento and founding a military dictatorship. Spain is tempted to withdraw itself from Morocco, but France, fearing the contagion in its zone of protectorate and its other colonies, refuses to leave the unpunished insurrectionists. The marshal Lyautey, the French general resident, takes the command of the operations. The Guerre of Rif lasts five more year and shows the victory of France and Spain.

See too

• Abdelkrim Al Khattabi
• War of Rif
• Republic of Rif

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