WHY THE RIFF FIGHTS

BY BOYD CABLE.

FEW people here have any clear idea as to why the Riff is fighting, especially since the carefully spread explanation that it was solely for independence has been completely exploded by the invasion of territories and tribes under France which have nothing to do, geo- graphically or racially, with the Riff.

Probably the first—and to us perhaps almost incredible —reason is that the Rifians are at war because they like it like fighting purely for fighting's sake. They are, and always, from time immemorial, have been, born fighters, dissatisfied with peace, restless for war. When the Riff tribes have not been combined to fight some outsiders, Carthagenians, Romans, Arabs, or Spanish, they have been at war against neighbouring tribes. When not fighting outsiders, some of the Riff tribes have fought other Riff tribes, and when there was a slack season in inter-tribal wars, family feuds were taken up and pursued hotly. The greatest hold Abdel Krim has over his people is that he has given them plenty of war, and by success- fully raising funds abroad has provided the Riff with plentiful rifles and cartridges. He played a master stroke after the Spanish disaster of 1921, when the Riff agents by treachery and intrigue raised a sudden flame of revolt, took the scattered and ill-armed Spanish garrisons com- pletely unawares, drove them in, or when they surren- dered as prisoners of war butchered them—men, women and children alike—by thousands, and held the survivors to ransom.

Abdel Krim held them in his own stronghold at Adjir, and by inflicting deliberate and abominable hardship and torture upon them and letting Spain know of their sufferings managed to extract some millions of pesetas ransom for such of the unfortunates as survived the im- prisonment. The fact that the Spanish troops advanced- and recaptured practically all the lost ground and inflicted heavy losses on the rebels counted little against the gain of a large fund to arm the tribes with the rifles which the Rifians have always worshipped.

Abdel Krim became a thorn in the flesh of the Spaniards, continually stirring up trouble amongst the tribes which had settled down under Spanish rule. Up to now his propagandists have successfully spread the belief in Europe that tribes which " revolted " against Spain were driven to it by Spanish oppression and injus- tice and a fear of losing their land. Only now are we learning—France and her tribes expensively and painfully so—the simple and effective methods used by Abdel Krim- to induce such " revolt." A tribe whose assistance is required receives an ultimatum that it can either join the Rifians or fight them, a powerful and well-armed body of Rifians waiting the reply either in or around the villages or territory, while the French or Spanish forces are far away with plenty of Riff forces between. Under such conditions a tribe does not long hesitate in its choice.

The cure for the half-hearted fighting or desertion which might be expected from these forcibly recruited tribes is indicated in a report from the current Moroccan (Tangier) paper, Al Moghreb Al-Aksa: "From Meknes it is stated that Abdel Krim has shot the chiefs of the tribes which fled before the French attack, imprisoned many of his Generals, beheaded deserters, and executed 400 men . ." This is merely a sample of the known and accepted methods of keeping reluctant fighters up to the mark. Because deserting or mutinous tribes must leave their women and families, homes, and cattle within reach of Abdel Krim, they have another excellent reason for fighting on.

This must not be taken to mean the Riff tribes are reluctant fighters. They are very much the reverse, and the persuasion described is mainly to decide a tribe on which side it will fight or to bring in tribes outside the Riff proper.

Krim himself has another and substantial reason for desiring independence and for his skilful efforts to secure the backing of European supporters for his claims. For this reason we must go back a little in his history.

. There are thirty tribes in the Riff, two or three of Arab descent, the rest pure Berber. The origin of these Berbers is lost in antiquity, but whatever they are they are not Arab, and since Abdel Krim's tribe is Berber this rather discounts his claim to be of any ruling (Arab) descent, much less a descendant of the Prophet. The Times correspondent, perhaps the best informed European. to-day on Moorish thought and opinion, has stated that. in this claim to ruling descent Abdel Krim is regarded as an upstart. The point is of importance, since Abdel Krim. is using it to preach a " Holy War " and, with some success, to raise Mohammedan subscriptions for a war of Cross versus Crescent.

Abdel Krim is one of the two sons of a small local headman who (like most Moors) had a childlike faith in- the limitless mineral wealth of his own locality. Having the wisdom to see that he could best exploit such wealth by educating his sons in European fashion, he sent one .

son to Madrid to become a mining engineer. The studies were not very successful and the son returned with a very thin smattering of mineralogy which, however, has some use in impressing the ignorant tribesmen. This brother is little known here, although his name appeared the other day as a casualty.

Abdel Krim took service with the Spanish, and early. in his career came in touch with, and under the influence of, the important German Mannesmann group or syndicate. He became then, and is reported still to. be, an agent of the Mannesmann interests which previous to 1914 , fostered so many intrigues and made such exaggerated claims about mining rights that an International Con- vention was set up to study and decide upon the con- flicting claims. The war broke off this work, but Germany naturally made good use of the Mannesmann agent to forward the efforts of the Germans and their Moorish allies against the French in Morocco. So successful- was Abdel Krim in this work that repeated complaints were made by France to the Spanish authori- ties, who could not refuse to give ear to the complaints and proofs of Krim's activities, the more so because he was then actually employed in the Spanish Intelligence, was therefore involving Spanish neutrality in the War, and it was impossible for Spain to permit their official employee to help German intrigue to considerable purpose against French troops.

The Spanish authorities finally shut Abdel Krim up in a fortress outside Melilla, from which he only escaped by a drop into the moat which broke his leg, and left him a cripple for life with a virulent hatred for Spain.

At the end of the War the interrupted Commission on mining rights resumed its labours, concluding them in 1921 with a set of clear and firm rules, the first and most important of which--to Abdel Krim especially— is that the exercise of any mining rights must be sub- mitted to International Regulations, and all concessions and agreements must be internationally accepted and approved.

There is nothing in this to prevent. any Moor, in or out of the Riff, selling land, or any mining right of it, which belongs to him. But it does prevent the same land or same rights being sold several times to different individuals or companies, allowing the Moor to pocket the several sums, and leave the validity of confused and conflicting claims to be fought out in European courts.

Abdel Krim wants independence for the Riff for the good reason that this would leave him sole authority over any and all mineral rights. It is idle to talk of making any " peace " with him, because he could not keep it if he would. There will he no peace in Morocco until Abdel Krim and his own tribe, the most warlike and domineering of them all, are subdued and disarmed, their strongholds of Alhucemas Bay and Adjir seized and garrisoned, their power to terrorize and force other tribes into war broken. Spanish Generals have known this for long enough, but it is only during the last year or so that under a strong and stable Government the adequate military preparations could be made for a decisive blow--such a blow as may fall sooner than they expect on the mainspring of all the trouble, Abdel Krim and his tribe.