STUBBORN RIFFS

Evening Star, Issue 18998, 21 July 1925, Page 5

STUBBORN RIFFS

WAR IK MOROCCO FRENCH REVERSES. Pres: Association—By Telegraph—Copyright, PARIS, July 19. A communique from Feu: raja: Th* French lost the military posts of Bal> hosein and Wedbamrin ns tiro result of a violent Riff attack, in which tho Riffn lost heavily.—Reuter. FRANCE HI MOROCCO ABDEL KRIM'S CAMPAIGN An informative despatch with refold ence to the French campaign m Morocco, giving an account of itfi origin, was recently sent to the Dady Mail’ from Rabat by Mr J. M. N. Jeffries, tho noted war corespondent. , lie wrote: — „ Probably many people, reading the 1 short official bulletins which tell how I French forces are meeting the men or Abdel Krim at places with strange names on the heights of far-off Morocco, wonder what tho fighting is all about. This town of Rabat, on the coast, the administrative centre of the French Protectorate, supplies the best answer to the question. From where- I am writing a line of light shows the waves washing on Sale, the other side of an; estuary a few hundred yards away, ; From Sale came those Sallee rovers, those pirates of the Barbary _ Coast, whose formidable galleys in tho eighteenth century terrorised the South of Europe and swept up to tho very shores of England and Ireland. _ , Even twelve years ago Sale and its! sister Rabat were remote sort of places. And now you come to them in fast motor cars that rush along a great ; highway, from which you may see rich stretches of cultivated land, and they bring you to a place filled with fresh buildings, shops, railway stations, and broad streets culminating in a circle of small palaces, blinding white in the sun, with deluges of roses and geraniums around them. 5 These palaces form the residence of • Marshal Lvautey, the Resident-General of Morocco, and the lovely buildings and the roads and the trains aim the crops growing freely in the wide plains are the work of French men and women and of French banks and companies. And it is to save all this that the French arc fighting Abdel Krim. They are lighting, too, as all European minorities must in such circuuistances, to preserve their prestige amid the Moors, and, be it not forgotten, tho prestige of all Europeans in Northern Africa, for if that were lost in Morocco how could it not he endangered in Algeria arid Tunis, and alterwards in Tripoli and Egypt itself? When the Spanish retired behind the Primo cle Rivera Hue this lelt the western end of the French position facing the Riff tribes. There was then a belt of land about fortyffive miles deep facing the French ) rentier (which then was roughly tho River Ouergha) in the possession, actual or possible, of those tribes. Here were altitudes which { dominated the French frontier posts. Bo a year ago Marshal Lyautey ad- ‘ vanned over the river and established French posts on these heights. This protected tho Ouergha line from assault. but angered Abdel Krim, as it brought tribes owning rich land under French jurisdiction, and ho had always j counted tills a country upon which he j could depend to draw supplies. 1 He waited, however, and did not strike until recently, when his warriors made sudden concerted incursions between tho small frontier posts of the French. The bodies that slipped; through were to form the nucleus of I risings throughout the countryside, and then ho hoped he could seize tho city) of Fez. i But he delayed in taking the posts,: and the risings, though some troops wore affected, wore nothing like what lie hoped they would be. His brief tide came within sight of Fez, and there ebbed away. The last ten days have been spent by the French posts in pushing tho invaders back detachment hv detachment to their mountains. Without going into geographical details, ft may be said that the three French columns engaged in this work arc advancing prudently, for the centre cannot put'too far while a menace exists, as it still does, to tho two extremities of the line. Reinforcements are now being concentrated to deal with the situation. Meanwhile Abdel Krim is sending his messengers through tho length and breadth of Morocco down to tho Atlas Mountains trying to raise the tribes. The messages they give are:—“Germany is with us,” “ Spain is beaten,” “ England does not mmd.” The success of these emissaries lias boon nil, because French power remains unshaken. Abdel Krim is helped by a small band of Russians, soldiers of iortune, more than envoys of Moscow, though Moscow has undoubtedly sent an emissarv or two along, as well as some money.