Londres maintient ses consultations avec Rabat sur la question du Sahara alors que plusieurs députés britanniques enjoignent le gouvernement de suivre la voie tracée par Washington    Leïla Benali s'entretient avec une délégation française de haut niveau de la région de Normandie    Laâyoune: La Chambre des conseillers et le Parlement andin se félicitent des relations parlementaires bilatérales distinguées    Mondial 2030 : Talbi El Alami s'entretient avec son homologue espagnole et la commissaire européenne pour la Méditerranée    Church's Texas Chicken amorce une vaste expansion mondiale et prévoit des ouvertures au Maroc    Société de Réalisations Mécaniques : Le CA affiche une progression de 14% en 2024    Mondial féminin : Le Portugal confirme une candidature conjointe avec le Maroc et l'Espagne... pour 2039    Polisario pushes for SADC support as Morocco gains ground in Southern Africa    Violente rixe à l'arme blanche à El-Jadida : la DGSN réagit promptement et identifie les protagonistes    Un homme interpellé à Agadir après une attaque à l'arme blanche dans un café    La tasa Trump del 10% destaca el desequilibrio comercial entre Marruecos y Estados Unidos    Un petit bout du Maroc à Paris : le soleil s'invite place Saint-Michel    Commerce extérieur : baisse des indices des valeurs à l'import et à l'export    TGV : Alstom annonce un plan d'investissement de plus de 150 millions d'euros    Afrique : Des Etats membres de la SADC volent au secours du Polisario    Achraf Hakimi devient l'ambassadeur d'Under Armour    Le président du Sénat chilien appelle à réactiver la coopération avec le Maroc    La taxe Trump de 10% met en lumière le déséquilibre commercial entre le Maroc et les Etats-Unis    L'ACAPS accélère la transformation numérique du secteur des assurances avec le programme "Emergence"    Maroc : L'USFP condamne une décision du président Erdogan    Aziz Akhannouch lidera reunión clave para implementar ley de penas alternativas en Marruecos    Ali Ansari : «La tutelle de l'Algérie sur le Mali est révolue»    Berlin : Abdeljebbar Rachidi et ses homologues africains lancent le Réseau africain sur la solidarité et le handicap    Droits de douane américains : Le Maroc bénéficie d'un taux avantageux    CAN U17 : Le Maroc et la Zambie se quittent sur un nul blanc    Abdellatif Ouahbi : Les peines alternatives, une étape positive dès août 2025    Le domaine de la Santé, « un vaste champ d'action » de la coopération franco-marocaine    Propagande algérienne sur le Sahara : La France réitère son soutien à la souveraineté du Maroc    CAN U17 / Zambie-Maroc: Les Chipolopolos et les Lionceaux du coup d'envoi    Droits de douane de Trump : Entre menaces de riposte et appels au dialogue    Guerre commerciale : l'UE prépare sa riposte aux taxes américaines    Turquie : Décès de neuf migrants en mer Égée    CAN U17 : Les Camerounais dans le rouge, les Sud-africains en standby !    SIEL 2025 : Rabat accueille la 9e semaine de la langue espagnole    Accès aux monuments historiques : Lancement de la 1ère plateforme électronique de vente de tickets    CAN U17/ Programme de la journée    Le FMI accorde une nouvelle ligne de crédit flexible de 4,5 milliards de dollars au Maroc    AP-UpM: Rachid Talbi El Alami plaide pour un partenariat équilibré entre le Maroc et l'Europe    Aid Al-Adha : Coût de la subvention à l'importation d'ovins en 2023-2024 atteint 437 millions de dirhams    Lancement d'une nouvelle version du portail national Maroc.ma dotée d'une interface remaniée    Trump impose de nouveaux tarifs douaniers et distingue les pays amis du reste du monde : 10 % pour le Maroc, 30 % pour l'Algérie et 28 % pour la Tunisie    Nouveaux droits de douane américains : 10 % pour le Maroc, le Golfe et l'Egypte... et 30 % pour l'Algérie    Classement FIFA: le Maroc fait un bond de deux places    Les Lionnes de l'Atlas s'entraînent avant les matchs contre la Tunisie et le Cameroun    Le Statut de l'artiste : Désormais une réalité pour le Burkina Faso    La Côte d'Ivoire fait son cinéma au Maroc    France. Le célèbre animateur Arthur champion de la lutte contre l'antisémitisme    Libye : Un ADN ancien de 7000 ans révèle une lignée de l'Afrique du Nord    







Merci d'avoir signalé!
Cette image sera automatiquement bloquée après qu'elle soit signalée par plusieurs personnes.



Battle of Nimlane : When Sultan Abdel Aziz sent an army to defend the Sahara and Chinguett
Publié dans Yabiladi le 30 - 08 - 2024

In 1906, Sultan Abdel Aziz of Morocco dispatched a military expedition led by Moulay Idriss to defend the Sahara against French encroachment, culminating in the Battle of Nimlane.
In the early 20th century, as European colonial powers sought to expand their influence in North Africa, Morocco faced increasing pressure on its southern borders. Sultan Abdelaziz, recognizing the threat to Moroccan sovereignty in the Sahara region, took decisive action by dispatching a military expedition led by his cousin Moulay Idriss in 1906. This campaign, supported by influential religious and tribal leaders, aimed to reassert Moroccan authority and resist French encroachment on its southern Saharan provinces.
French colonial ambitions in the region had been growing since the late 19th century. According to Dr. Noureddine Belhaddad's book «Spanish Infiltration into the Shores of the Moroccan Sahara (1860-1934)», as early as 1900, Sheikh Ma al-Aynayn, «a prominent religious and political figure in the Sahara, appointed as Sultan's deputy over the Sahara region by the Moroccan Sultan Hassan I in 1879», had warned the Moroccan government about French designs on the Adrar region.
In a letter to the Grand Vizier Ahmed ben Moussa, Ma al-Aynayn reported: «It has been confirmed to us by multiple sources that the Christians of Ndar (Saint-Louis, Senegal), may God curse them, are busy purchasing camels and water skins, intending to advance towards Adrar».
DAHIR SULTANI, Decree( of Appointment of Ma al-Aynayn by the Moroccan Sultan Hassan I in the year 1879
This intelligence prompted Sultan Abdelaziz to instruct his representative in Tangier, Mohammed Torres, to lodge a formal protest with the French minister. However, diplomatic efforts proved insufficient to halt French expansionism.
The Role of Sultan's deputy over sahara, Sheikh Ma al-Aynayn
The Sultan's deputy Sheikh Ma al-Aynayn played a pivotal role in organizing resistance to French incursions and maintaining ties between the Saharan tribes and the Cherifien Empire (Morocco). As noted in the book «Sheikh Ma al-Aynayn: Scholars and Emirs in the Face of European Colonialism», Ma al-Aynayn leveraged his extensive network and social standing to mobilize opposition to French occupation.
In 1905, recognizing the need for more substantial support, Ma al-Aynayn led a delegation of Saharan tribal notables to the Moroccan capital at that time «Fez» to renew their allegiance to Sultan Moulay Abdelaziz and request arms and ammunition.
The Sultan received them warmly and, after discussions on strategies to counter French attempts in Adrar, French General Henri Gouraud reported in his memoirs «Mauritanie Adrar, souvenirs d'un Africain» : «The Moroccan Sultan supplied Ma al-Aynayn with significant quantities of weapons and ammunition, urging him to unite the tribes in resistance».
Moulay Idriss and preparation for the campaign
Following this visit, Sultan Moulay Abdelaziz decided to organize a military expedition to the Sahara. He appointed his cousin, Moulay Idriss ben Abdurrahman, to lead this force as his representative, granting him broad authority to address all matters of concern to Muslims in the region, particularly the issue of French encroachment.
Sultan moulay Abdel Aziz of Morocco.
Ma al-Aynayn played a crucial role in preparing the ground for Moulay Idriss's expedition. He sent emissaries, including his sons, to various tribes to encourage jihad and rally support for the Sultan's representative. For instance, his son Sheikh Hassan was dispatched to mediate between factions of the Idaw'ish tribe in September 1906.
The French colonial administration closely monitored these activities. Captain Gaston Dufour, in his book «Mauritanie, Historique des opérations militaires du XVIIe siècle à 1920» noted: «Since the previous year, the tribes had been subject to covert propaganda by Ma al-Aynayn's emissaries, who traversed the regions of Tagant, Rgueiba, Hodh, and even the administratively organized areas in Trarza territories».
Launch of the expedition
Moulay Idriss's expedition set out from Smara in 1906. Captain Gaston Dufour described the situation in his historical account: «The notable events of 1906 were the mobilization of dissidents in Adrar and the arrival of Sharif Idriss in this region, sent by the Sultan of Morocco, and his attempt to take control of the land of the Bidhan».
To bolster support among the region's tribes and emirs of Chinguetti, Ma al-Aynayn sent letters to tribal chiefs and sheikhs, urging them to join the jihad and support the Sultan's representative against the French enemy. One such letter, dated July 1905, was sent to Sidi Mohammed al-Mukhtar bin Hamid, sheikh of the Kunta tribe, informing him of the Sultan's dispatch of Moulay Idriss and requesting his support for the campaign.
A letter extracted from the book "The Moroccan Sahara Through Royal Documents," dated July 1905 CE, discussing Sheikh Ma al-Aynayn's call to Mohammed al-Mukhtar to support the Moroccan expedition heading to the Sahara
French colonial officials were alarmed by the expedition. In a letter dated November 23, 1906, French Minister of Colonies Milliès-Lacroix wrote to the Minister of Foreign Affairs: «I had previously informed you about the presence of Ma al-Aynayn's son, named Hassana, among the Idaw'ish, distributing weapons and ammunition».
«Since then, the agitation has intensified. The primary agent responsible for this agitation is called Moulay Idriss ould Moulay Abderrahmane ould Moulay Slimane, cousin of the Sultan of Morocco, who claims to be his envoy... Moulay Idriss has declared that he has come to govern the country and that, in the name of the Sultan, he has come to claim ownership of the land (Mauritanian) up to the river...»
The Battle of Nimlane
On October 25, 1906, in Nimlane, Tagant region of modern day Mauritania, Moroccan forces led by Moulay Idriss, supported by numerous Saharan tribes who had answered the call for jihad from the Sultan's deputy, Ma al-Aynayn, engaged in combat with French forces led by Lieutenants Andrieux and Franssu. The battle concluded with a victory for the Moroccan forces .Both French lieutenants were killed in the engagement.
The battle saw the participation of several of Ma al-Aynayn's sons, including Sheikh Hassan, Sheikh al-Wali, and Sheikh Taleb Khiar, alongside numerous disciples of Ma al-Aynayn and tribal notables and emirs.
The success at Nimlane boosted morale among the Moroccan-aligned forces. Minister Milliès-Lacroix reported that «the Sharif Moulay Idriss gathered 500 warriors, including 100 from the Hodh region, particularly from Laghlal and Meshduf...»
«The number of Bidhan (those opposing the French presence) around the center has doubled, as the Sharif's success and the hope of raiding operations have encouraged many residents to join the outskirts of the center», Minister Milliès-Lacroix added.
Following the victory at Nimlane, the Moroccan forces moved towards the town of Tidjikja. Here, a strategic disagreement arose between Moulay Idriss and local resistance leaders. While Moulay Idriss favored an immediate attack, tribal leaders advocated for besieging the town. After a week-long siege, Moulay Idriss ordered an assault on the town. However, this attack was repulsed, marking a turning point in the campaign.
Aftermath and significance
French colonial documents attest to the impact of the expedition. The alarm expressed in official correspondence reveals the threat it posed to French ambitions in the region. The mobilization of tribes across a vast area, from Tagant to the Hodh, demonstrated the extensive reach of Moroccan influence in the Sahara.
After the Moroccan victory in the Battle of Nimlan, France would regain the initiative under the leadership of General Henri Gouraud and would extend its control over the Chinguett sahara and would allow Spain to occupy the regions of Saguia el-Hamra and Wadi al-Dahab. This was in accordance with the outcome of the Berlin Conference of 1884, in which the European powers divided the African continent, as well as in accordance with the bilateral agreements that were taking place between the European powers, such as the Franco-Spanish convention of October 3, 1904.
Although the results of the Nimlane victory were limited, Moulay Idriss's expedition demonstrated Morocco's resolve in defending its Saharan territories and uniting numerous tribes under the Sultan's banner. The campaign illuminated the close web of relationships between the Moroccan sultanate, influential Saharan religious figures like Ma al-Aynayn, and local tribal leaders.
French Concerns over Moroccan Influence in the Sahara: Dispatch from French Foreign Minister Stephen Pichon to M. Regnault, French Minister in Tangier, Regarding Ma el-Aïnin and Moulay Idriss's Activities, November 1906
These ties transcended mere politics, being deeply embedded in religious and social fabric. The considerable influence exercised by Ma al-Aynayn as Sultan's deputy and the respect shown by the tribes to Moulay Idriss and their obedience to his military directives as the Sultan's envoy are compelling evidence of the widespread recognition of Moroccan sovereignty among Saharaoui tribes.


Cliquez ici pour lire l'article depuis sa source.