EXILED ARAB REBEL

Taranaki Daily News, 14 November 1934, Page 15

EXILED ARAB REBEL

“NAPOLEON OF MOROCCO.” POSSIBILITY OF RELEASE. Rumours have been persistent in Casablanca, Morocco, that Abd el Krim, the former Arab rebel leader, will be allowed to return to Morocco from exile. It is considered that an Abd el Krim in sympathy with French work in Morocco would exert a good influence over his countrymen. The one-time “Napoleon of Morocco” is now living on the French island of Reunion, in the Indian Ocean. Still under 50, he has spent eight years in exile after a defeat which it required the united strength of two countries — France and Spain—to inflict. He was an obscute deserter from the Spanish administration at Ceuta, in North Africa, in 1921, when he placed himself at the head of the Riff forces which had* been fighting a guerrilla campaign against Spain. Abd el Krim proclaimed the independence of his country and proceeded to inflict a series of crushing defeats on the Spanish forces. The greatest of these was in the summer of 1921, when he defeated the united Spanish forces and captured an entire Spanish division. Later Spain paid 6,000,000 pesetas (£240,000 at par) to ransom the men. In 1924 the Spanish forces, leaving 20,000 of their dead comrades in the wastes of Africa, retired to the coast. Krim was then the undisputed leader of 40,000 turbulent tribesmen and appeared to be safe in the possession of his newlywon territory. Having disposed of the Spaniards, Krim made the mistake of attacking France. In April, 1925, he launched an offensive against the French south of the Spanish zone. By September Abd el Krim found himself fighting an army of 150,000 French soldiers and 75,000 Spanish. In May, 1926, he surrendered to the French.