Rif War (1893)
The Rif War of 1893 , also known as Guerra de Margallo (after Juan García Margallo , whose death stirred up public opinion in Spain), was an armed conflict between Spain and 39 tribes of the Rif in northern Morocco . Over time, the Sultan of Morocco, Mulai al-Hassan I , was also involved. The conflict became belligerent in October 1893, on November 9, 1893, Práxedes Mateo Sagasta declared war for Spain, which was ended by the Fez Agreement in 1894.
This war was the first of three conflicts with this name, later followed by the Rif War (1909) and the Rif War (1921–1926) .
prehistory
Melilla was conquered by Spain in 1497. In the 19th century , Spain began to expand outside the city, investing in infrastructure and industry. Various agreements between 1859 and 1861 secured Spanish interests. Although Spain proceeded with the consent of the Moroccan government, tensions arose between the Spanish army and the local Berber tribes , who were hostile to the Spanish, but also to the Moroccans, and over which the sultan had practically no control. Raids and piracy in the Rif received extensive coverage in the Spanish press and there were numerous spectacular attacks.
After a Spanish merchant ship was seized by Rifpiraten in 1890, the Spanish Navy sent the gunboat Isla de Lúzon on a rescue mission. The abducted Spaniards disappeared and it was concluded that they were probably sold as slaves .
In the summer of 1893 there were minor unrest and the governor of Melilla began to expand the city's fortifications. In particular, new redoubts were built in Peuta de Cabiza and Punta Dolossos .
The war starts
After further escalation in violence, the war broke out on October 3, when 6,000 Rif warriors armed with Remington rifles poured out of the mountains and attacked the city, which was defended by only 400 regular infantry. The Spaniards fought all day, losing 21 men and mourning 100 wounded. The population fled to the city's citadel . However, the superiority was so great that the regular troops had to retreat to the fortress.
Since the attackers had no heavy weapons at their disposal, they tried to take the citadel by storm, but were repulsed by the heavy fire of the Spanish soldiers with their new 7x57 Mauser rifles and lost around 160 men. The Spaniards began using their artillery and shelled the tribal warriors' gatherings in the villages around the city. A mosque was hit and the confrontation took the form of a jihad .
The Moroccans across the border now also took up arms against the Spaniards and on October 5, around 12,000 men had gathered in front of the city.
The Spanish answer
The news of the attack sparked war fever in Spain. The government mobilized the ironclad Numancia as well as two gunboats and the Andalusia Army for the fight. Newspapers and many citizens called for revenge at all costs. Everywhere the mobilized troops were bid farewell with solemn ceremonies.
The Sultan of Morocco recognized Spain's right to defend its possessions. However, his refusal to call back the Moroccans who had participated in the uprising rocked relations with the Spanish government.
The crisis
On October 4th the Numancia shelled several villages along the coast. On the same day, an artillery unit from Málaga arrived in Melilla. The situation stagnated for several weeks. General Margallo , the governor of Melilla and commander of the Spanish troops, issued an ultimatum to no avail. The troops sent by the Sultan of Morocco were also unable to calm the situation. The two forts Camellos and San Lorenzo fell into the hands of the insurgents. Thereafter, the Spaniards reinforced the fortifications of the forts Cabrerizas and Rostro Gordo .
On October 22, the gunboat Conde de Venadito entered the mouth of the Río de Oro , anchored there and opened fire on the trenches of the reef rebels. It then returned to the port of Melilla undamaged.
In response, the insurgents attacked the hill of Sidi Guariach with 5000 men on October 27th and although they came under fire from the Venadito and the Spanish artillery, they managed to push General Margallo and General Ortego back into the citadel.
Margallo's outbreak
In order to distract the insurgents from the work around the two forts of Cabrerizas and Rostro Gordo , Margallo broke out on October 28th together with 2,000 men. The number of rebels in the trenches amounted to about 3,000 fighters and in the course of the fighting a further 6,000 men were brought in to reinforce them. This enabled the insurgents to expand their lines and encompass the Spaniards from the side. Margallo, who believed that the enemy center was weakened, let his troops attack precisely there, but was repulsed with considerable losses.
Margallo then ordered a retreat, and a short time later he was fatally wounded. The Spanish army officially recorded 70 dead and 122 wounded. The actual losses must have been considerably higher, however. Only General Ortega's quick reaction to cover the withdrawal of the troops prevented a slaughter. Among the survivors was a young lieutenant named Miguel Primo de Rivera , who later became a general and dictator.
The news of the catastrophe, combined with a harsh telegram from Ortega, finally convinced the cabinet to send three regiments of cavalry and four battalions of infantry.
On October 29, Ortega and 3000 men attacked the trenches of the rebels from Fort Cabrerizas and drove them from their positions.
siege
At the beginning of November the situation continued to deteriorate. A large number of insurgents occupied the beaches and prevented the unloading of horses, troops and supplies. The insurgents built the system of moats around the city, set up fortified camps, blocked all communication between the citadel and the fort, and destroyed the roads between the fortresses. Only through eruptions after sunset could the crews of the forts obtain water, food and ammunition.
The Spaniards began nightly operations to infiltrate groups of criminals and convicts under the leadership of an officer into enemy lines and to ambush insurgent patrols.
During the whole of November, the defenses were expanded. The Spaniards lost 12 officers and 100 men during this time. The insurgents complained about 500 deaths, mainly from artillery fire.
Salvation and peace
However, with the arrival of the armored cruisers Alfonso XII and Isla de Luzon , the tide turned. The Spaniards could now use their superior firepower and began a continuous bombardment of the coast from the ships. Searchlights were used for the first time in order to be able to fire during the night .
General Manuel Macías Casado, General Margallo's successor, received enough reinforcements in the middle of the month to push back the insurgents and to rebuild the outer defenses.
On November 27, General Arsenio Martínez-Campos arrived in Melilla with 7,000 reinforcements. In April 1894 Martínez de Campos was appointed ambassador of Spain to Morocco in addition to his military degree and negotiated a peace treaty with the sultan.
After the war Melilla received its own department within the Guardia Civil , the Spanish gendarmerie .
Web links
- Rif War 1893-1894
- Wars of the World - The Rif War 1893
- Las Guerras de Marruecos ( Memento of September 21, 2008 in the Internet Archive )