Second Rif War 1909-1910

On July 9, 1909, a party of Rif tribesmen (also Moors or Berbers) attacked and killed six workers constructing a railroad in the vicinity of the Spanish enclave of Melilla. Spanish military authorities had foreseen the possibility of such aggression and the Spanish garrison responded by occupying several key locations in the vicinity of the city and the navy began bombarding coastal villages but the Spanish government order an end to naval bombardment due to concerns about international opinion. Meanwhile, the army requested reinforcement. Reserves were called up in Spain, resulting in rioting by antiwar activists. In Barcelona, security forces brutally suppressed antiwar protests in what became known as the Tragic Week. On July 27th, a Spanish column outside Melilla reportedly suffered as many as 3,000 casualties in battle and the situation in Melilla was now being described as grave. Other Rif forces attacked the fortified island of Alhucemas that same day.

Sometime in early August, Abd al-Hafid, the Sultan of Morocco, informed Spain of his willingness to send Moroccan troops into the area to punish the Rif tribesman and establish peace; Spain refused the offer as insufficient and proceeded with plans to pacify the Rif. The Spanish army in the enclave of Melilla had been reinforced and it was estimated to have 40,000 troops in August. Public opinion in Spain had shifted towards support for the war after the defeats suffered in July. Rif forces continued their attacks and extended their operations to attacking the fortress at Penon de la Gomera.

In September, the possibility of the war escalating to a war between Spain and Morocco was openly being discussed. The Spanish intended to demand an indemnity from Morocco because the sultan had failed to provide sufficient troops to keep order and prevent the Rif attacks on Melilla. Internationally, the great power response to the situation seemed to assure Spain of non-interference. With the Spanish army in North Africa now having been reinforced to strength of over 60,000 troops, the Spaniards took the offensive against the Rif tribes beginning about September 20th.

Offensive operations continued throughout October with Spanish forces successfully occupying and therefore expanding the Melilla enclave. The cost of the war, and the willingness of Rif leaders to accept peace now, then convinced the government to order a halt to the advance and begin demobilizing. By January 1910, Spain controlled the area surrounding Melilla up to the Kert River. After the end of the 1909 campaign, Spanish forces in the vicinity of Melilla concentrated on consolidating the positions previously occupied while facing little armed opposition. Peace was formally considered reestablished on April 23, 1910.

Notes

[1] Correlates of War classifies this war as an inter-state war, however, there is no indication in the sources availabe to suggest Morocco was ever engaged in battle with Spain during this war suggesting it is an extra-state war. The battle death values for Morocco are here applied to the Rif.

References

Clodfelter, 637; COW94; Martinez Pontijas, 12-13.

Juan Martinez Pontijas, Spanish Pacification Campaigns in Morocco (1909-1927): Developing Indigenous Forces in Counterinsurgency. School of Advanced Military Studies, United States Army Command and General Staff College, 2017.

Category

Extra-State War^[1]

Region

North Africa

Belligerents

Spain, Rif, Morocco

Dispute

Territory

Initiation Date

July 9, 1909

Termination Date

March 23, 1910

Duration

289 days

Outcome

Unresolved Conflict
(Spanish victory)

Fatalities

Total: 10,000
Spain: 2,000
the Rif: 8,000

Magnitude

4.0