1922 Encyclopædia Britannica/Morocco

MOROCCO (see ).—The year 1911 was rendered memorable in Morocco by the Agadir crisis. Mulai Hafid had become unpopular through his dependence on the French and the exactions of his grand vizir, El Glawi. There was a general rising of the tribes round Fez in Oct. 1910. Meknes (Mequinez) was captured, and Fez itself besieged in March-1911. French troops were sent in April, and again in May, to occupy the city and pacify the district. El Glawi was dismissed. This French occupation of Fez, though the need for it had been duly notified to the Powers, was resented by Spain and Germany. The former countered it by the sudden occupation (June) of El Qasr and Laraish (El &lsquo;Araish). The German Government on July 1 1911 announced to the French Minister for Foreign Affairs its decision to send a gunboat to Agadir, and dispatched the &ldquo;Panther&rdquo; forthwith. The alleged motive was to safeguard German subjects and property against disturbances in the Sus; the real one was to challenge the extension of French influence in Morocco as contrary to the Agreements of 1906 and 1909. The situation became extremely critical, and for a time it seemed as if war were inevitable. The protests of France were unavailing until Great Britain declared her intention of standing by the Entente, and her formal objection to Germany's obtaining territorial influence in Morocco. A series of diplomatic &ldquo;conversations&rdquo; resulted in the Franco-German Treaty of Nov. 4 1911, by which France was to cede some of her Congo territory to Germany in return for the recognition by the latter of her political protectorate over Morocco, economic equality being reaffirmed. (The word &ldquo;protectorate&rdquo; was not used in the actual treaty, but it was in the letters accompanying it.) Spain at first objected, but, through the intervention of Great Britain, a Franco-Spanish treaty was

concluded on Nov. 27 1911. This arranged such debated points as customs, the management of the projected Tangier-Fez railway and the appointment of the Sultan's khalifa (deputy) at Tetuan. It slightly revised the Franco-Spanish boundaries determined by the Convention of Oct. 3 1904. The boundary of the northern Spanish zone follows the Muluya (Mulwiya) from its mouth to near Meshra el Klila, thence, turning W., it runs immediately N. of the Wad Waghra to Jebel Mulai bu Shta; thence it strikes N.W. to the Wad Lekkus, follows its course and, afterwards, lat. 35° N., to the Atlantic coast. Both banks of the Lekkus and El Qasr and Laraish fall within the Spanish zone. The treaty also recognized the rights of Spain in the S. over the enclave of Ifni, bounded to N. by the Wad bu Sedra, to S. by the Wad Nun, to E. by a line about 15 m. from the coast. The negotiations of 1911-2 between the Powers resulted in the internationalization of the Tangier zone, consisting of Tangier, its environs and the territory of the El Fahs tribe to S. and W. of it— about 100 sq. m. in all. By this understanding Tangier was &ldquo;to be given a special regime to be agreed upon later.&rdquo; In 1921 Spain maintained that the possession of Tangier was indispensable to her in order to round off her protectorate zone, both from an economic and a territorial point of view. France on her side put forward claims to the town based upon her general position in Morocco and the Mediterranean. Meanwhile the Sultan is sovereign and the town and the harbour are administered by an International Commission.

On March 30 1912 Mulai Hafid signed a treaty with France accepting the protectorate, which was subsequently recognized by the Powers, who withdrew their diplomatic representatives. General Lyautey was appointed resident-general. The protectorate has an office in Paris at 21, Rue des Pyramides.

There were continued risings in the Fez-Sifru district and in the Rif during the autumn of 1911, and Fez was again besieged in March-April 1912, when the Sherifian army mutinied and killed several of their French instructors. In August a new Pretender appeared in the Sus, Hamed el Hiba, son of the notorious religious agitator Ma el &lsquo;Ainin, who had died at Tiznit (Oct. 1910). El Hiba occupied Marrakesh (Aug. 1912) but was driven thence in Sept. and fled south. Mulai Hafid abdicated on Aug. 12, appointing his brother, Mulai Yusef, as his successor. Hafid was pensioned by France and lived for a time at Tangier; after the outbreak of the World War both he and &lsquo;Abd el &lsquo;Aziz resided in Europe. In Oct. Gen. Lyautey occupied Agadir. Fighting in western Morocco continued for some months among the Shiadma, Haha, Zayan and Tadla, the most powerful chiefs being two rival kaids of the Haha and Moha u Said of the Tadla. But this district and that round Fez were pacified by the spring of 1913, and attention became increasingly centred on eastern Morocco, and the need for securing communications with Algeria by the occupation of the important strategic position of Taza. This was accomplished in May 1914, in the face of much hostility from the local tribes. The following month saw the capture of the scarcely less important fortress of Khenifra in the Zayan country. These two essential positions had barely been secured when the outbreak of the World War necessitated the withdrawal of French regular troops, whereupon ensued the immediate revolt of the powerful Branes, Ghiata, and Beni Waghrain round Taza, and the Zayan in the west. The diminished French forces, however, gallantly held their own, and the great kaids of the Atlas and the bashas of Tarudant and Tiznit in the S. remained loyal. The latter kept El Hiba's forces in check. With a view to maintaining confidence, public works were continued and exhibitions and fairs were held at Casablanca (1915, 1918), Fez (1916) and Rabat (1917); these were visited by thousands of natives, and created an immense effect.

All through the war German money, arms and military instruction were lavished on the anti-French tribes through German agents harboured in the northern Spanish zone, while arms were repeatedly smuggled through Ifni and Rio de Oro. The attempt of the submarine U$20$, however, to land 6,000 rifles at the mouth of the Wad Nun (Oct. 1916) was frustrated. Throughout 1915 and 1916 there was fighting along the Wad Waghra,

the chief native leaders being &lsquo;Abd es Salam, &lsquo;Abd el Malek (grandson of &lsquo;Abd el Kader), and Raisuli, while El Hiba came N. to join them. In the Tadla, Moha u Said was simultaneously giving trouble. All these chiefs were in German pay. Military occupation was pushed forward by the French throughout 1916 and 1917, and many important posts established. The advance in the Gigu valley brought about the submission of practically the whole Tafilalt and, with the junction of several French columns on the Upper Muluya, isolated the Ghiata and Beni Waghrain in their mountain fastnesses. In May and June 1917, &lsquo;Abd el Malek was driven from Taza and forced to take refuge in the north. On March 24, in the Sus, El Hiba's forces had met with a decisive defeat at Wijan, but he continued to receive encouragement from Germany until Oct. 1918. El Hiba died at Kerdus in the following spring, and his forces, under his brother, Merebbi Rebo, were finally dispersed by the basha of Tiznit. The Tafilalt was definitely occupied at the end of 1917, and a wireless station and aerodrome established. In Aug. 1918 the all-powerful Ait Atta of the district were stirred to revolt by a sherif, Si Moha Nifruten, but the rising was suppressed by April 1919, with the powerful aid of El Glawi, son of the deposed ex-vizir, basha of Marrakesh, who in Jan. brought 10,000 men across the High Atlas. (His brother, the Kaid el Glawi, also a loyal ally of France, had died in Aug. 1918.) In the N. intrigues and hostilities, still engineered by Germany, persisted through the early part of 1918.

In the autumn of 1919 the Beni Waghrain were stirred up by a new pretender, and the Seghrushen round Sifru by Sidi Raho. Two risings occurred in the Gharb, in the spring of 1918 and in Oct. 1920. This last was suppressed by the French occupation of the sacred city of Wazzan. Simultaneously the turbulent Ida u Tanan of the S.W. submitted. French rule was thus consolidated in all districts save the Middle Atlas, the Beni Waghrain stronghold.

In 1912 the territory occupied by the French was about 88,000 sq. km., in 1914 163,000 sq. km.; in 1921 France nominally occupied 235,000 sq. km., but exerted effective economic control over about 100,000 sq. km. only.

In the Spanish zone, the lack of roads and the insecurity resulting from the anarchy and brigandage prevalent among the Rif and Jebala tribes retarded development. Fighting continued in both the eastern and western districts. In March 1919 a rising occurred N.E. of Fez, the remains of &lsquo;Abd el Malek's movement. In the W., Raisuli as protagonist, while affecting to serve the cause of Spain, and actually, in 1916, receiving arms and money from her, was really seeking to make himself quasi-sultan of N.W. Morocco. In 1916 he entrenched himself at Fonduk &lsquo;Ain el Jedida near Tetuan, and was driven thence only in Oct. 1919. The Tangiern-Tetuan road, which he had held, was thus reopened and the Anjera and Wad Ras tribes made their submission. A year later, however, there was fresh fighting with the Beni Huzmer and others, probably directed by Raisuli; Spanish troops from Tetuan then made a somewhat precarious entry (Oct. 14 1920) into the &ldquo;forbidden city&rdquo; of Sheshawan, and surrounded it by a ring of military posts. Troops advancing to join them from El Qasr were unable to reach Sheshawan, and had to fall back on their base at Laraish, leaving Raisuli free to operate from his mountain stronghold. In Nov. several attacks were made by the tribes on Spanish patrols and posts in the Tetuan-Sheshawan district, and it seemed at the close of the autumn campaign as if the more remote posts might need to be evacuated.


 * (E. G. S.)