James Baquet

From 1912 to 1958, a narrow strip on the northern (Mediterranean) edge of Morocco was a Spanish “protectorate” (meaning an autonomous territory owned by Spain). The relationship, however, was plagued by rough patches.

One of these was the Rif War which lasted from 1920 to 1926. The Berber tribes living in the Rif Mountains, near Melilla, battled with the Spanish miners in the area. The Spanish Army intervened, leading to open warfare between the Spanish and the Rifians, led by Abd el-Krim.

The Berbers were successful in the earliest stages of the war, perhaps never more so than at the Battle of Annual — so devastating that the Spanish usually call it the “Disaster of Annual.”

In pursuing their goals, the Spanish had advanced well into Rifian territory. Instead of establishing strong fortifications and secure supply lines, though, they depended on a series of small blockhouses, manned by 12 to 20 soldiers, with poor communications and difficult access to water.

On July 22, 1921, five days of skirmishes came to a head, when 3,000 Rif fighters attacked 5,000 Spanish soldiers in an advance encampment at Annual. The Spanish leader, General Silvestre, called on his men to withdraw to a previous camp. This movement was orderly at first, but devolved into chaos.

Most of the Spanish soldiers were conscripts with little discipline, and Abd el-Krim’s men made short work of them with rifles and knives. General Silvestre was lost in the melee, and no trace of him was ever found, though there were unconfirmed sightings of his corpse.

Spanish hegemony in the area collapsed as they failed to organize a coordinated response, and the Rifians took more than 130 blockhouses. By the end of August, the Spanish had been pushed back to the territories they held in 1909, losing over a decade of expanded occupation.

Some sources claim the Spanish lost up to 22,000 troops at Annual, and the Rifians only 800. Be that as it may, in 1924 the Spanish formed an alliance with the French, and by 1926 Spanish Morocco was once again firmly in Spanish hands.

Vocabulary:

Which word or phrase above means:

1. confused fighting

2. turned into (negatively)

3. notwithstanding, in any case

4. destructive

5. affected (negatively)

6. small fortified structure

7. took care of [something] easily

8. without evidence

9. person forced into military service, draftee

10. difficult times