WADA calls on the new head of French diplomacy to compensate for the damage caused by chemical warfare against the Moroccan Grand Rif
To the kind attention of His Excellency Stéphane Séjourné, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic
Subject: Reparation for damage caused by chemical warfare against the Moroccan Grand Rif.
Reference: PDR/EMP/A057679
Minister,
On the occasion of World Cancer Day, on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of the disappearance of our great revolutionary Mohamed ABDELKRIM EL KHATTABI , and on the occasion of the centenary of the involvement of the French Army against war of liberation, led by our leader in the Rif region [1], we want to attract, once again, your attention and that of your government, in order to ask you to consider, conscientiously, our legitimate request on the great harm not resolved inevitably implying the responsibility of the French Republic, alongside the Spanish monarchy, in the use of chemical weapons against the civilian populations of the Moroccan Grand Rif during the Rif War of 1921-1927.
I bring to your attention that, already, your President of the Republic, Mr. Emmanuel MACRON , like his predecessor Mr. François HOLLANDE (Ref.: PDR/SCP/BEAR/D026495 ) , had received our correspondence of July 21 2021, on the occasion of the centenary of the famous battle of Anoual, and that he had entrusted us with “ the care of ensuring the best attention with which our letter was read and the concerns which motivate our approach “, the 1st class chief commissioner of the Special Staff of the Presidency of the Republic, Jean LE ROCH , wrote to us on September 10, 2021. The latter added that: “ stressing that it is a question of "a delicate subject, he made it known that this falls within the competences entrusted to the Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Armed Forces in charge of memory and veterans ".
However, since then and to this day, we have unfortunately received no follow-up to this matter either from Ms. Geneviève DARRIEUSSECQ, previously Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Armed Forces, in charge of memory and veterans, nor from Mrs. Patricia MIRALLES, Secretary of State to the Minister of the Armed Forces, in charge of Veterans and Memory [2] and neither Mrs. Catherine COLONNA, your previous head of Diplomacy [3]. Therefore, this is why we are addressing you directly, as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, in the hope that this time our request will, indeed, be " examined carefully and that your services will not fail to let us know directly what action may be in store for him . ”
Let us recall that during his trip to Algeria in February 2017, your president, Mr. Emmanuel MACRON, had the great courage to assert that: “ colonization is a crime. It is a crime against humanity. It’s real barbarism, and it’s part of this past that we must look in the face while also apologizing to those against whom we committed these actions .”
However, France cannot remain indifferent to this historic injustice of the use of chemical weapons against the civilian populations of the Moroccan Grand Rif during the twenties of the 20th century, where it found itself, at the beginning of the last century, responsible of a protectorate over Morocco. By virtue of this protectorate, and as a "civilized nation", France was required by customary and conventional law of war to protect, in particular, the civilian population and to no longer use itself against this same defenseless population. and non-combatant of prohibited chemical weapons of mass destruction [4].
From now on, German historians and investigative journalists (like Rudibert KUNZ and Rolf-Dieter MÜLLER), English (like Sebastian BALFOUR), Spanish (like Maria Rosa de MADARIAGA), French (like Vincent COURCELLE-LABROUSSE and Nicolas MARMIÉ) and Moroccan (such as Mimoun CHARQI, Mustapha EL MERROUN, Mustapha BENCHERIF, Mohamed EL GHALBZOURI and Rachid YCHOUTI), based on unpublished documents, colonial archives and historical studies, incontestably testify to the direct involvement of France, alongside Spain, in this harmful use of chemical weapons of mass destruction against the civilian populations of the Rif, when the latter gathered during the weekly souks in northern Morocco, during the Rif War from 1923 to 1927. This is what which forced, consequently, our great reformer and president of the ephemeral Rif Republic, ABDELKRIM, to surrender to French officers on May 27, 1926, before being exiled to Reunion Island for around twenty years. years !
Ultimately, this unjust and inhumane chemical war against the Great Rif is not only a violation of the most basic rules of the law of war, but moreover and even more serious, the heirs of yesterday's victims continue, unfortunately, to suffer even today, as this recent and relevant analysis by Moroccan researchers Badiha NAHHASS and Zakaria RHANI [5] has just highlighted. Indeed, numerous genetic studies by confirmed experts demonstrate and testify to the mutagenic and carcinogenic effects of the weapons used such as mustard gas or mustard gas, phosgene, disphosgene and chloropicrin, etc.
Pending your response to our request, please accept, Excellency the Minister, the expression of our highest consideration.
Signed: Rachid Raha, President of the World Amazigh Assembly (AMA)
Copy:
Mr President Emmanuel MACRON
Mr. Ambassador of the French Republic to the Kingdom of Morocco
Notes:
[1]- https://www.cairn.info/revue-strategique-2009-1-page-319.htm
[2]- http://amamazigh.org/2023/02/les-amazighs-demandent-a-la-secretaire-detat-aupres-du-ministre-francais-des-armees-chargee-des-anciens-combattants- and-memory-reparation-of-damage-caused-by-chemical-warfare/
[3]- http://amamazigh.org/2023/05/les-amazighs-interpellent-la-diplomatie-francaise-sur-la-discrimination-raciale-de-france24-et-le-non-respect-des- amazigh-rights/
[4]- https://amazigh.press/fr/le-role-et-la-responsabilite-de-la-france-dans-lusage-des-armes-églises-contre-le-rif/
[5]- https://www.cairn.info/revue-vingt-et-vingt-et-un-revue-d-histoire-2023-2-page-35.htm?modal=share-tap&tap=zkdt11ffb1bz8
Press kit:
https://amadalamazigh.press.ma/pdf/Dossier%20de%20Presse%20-%20Guerre%20Chemiques%20contre%20le%20rif2.pdf