The Jugurtha War and the Bukhos Conspiracy
Not only did Buchus flee the battles and leave Jugurtha isolated during his last war against Rome, but he also betrayed him, conspired against him basely, and handed him over to the Roman commander Silla. In the painting, Buchus appears behind Silla and their soldiers capturing the Numidian king Jugurtha.
Painting by Bartolomeo Pinelli
The reasons for Buchus' coup against Jugurtha and his participation in the plot to arrest him
First: Most literary sources state that this act arose from personal disputes between him and his Namudi brother-in-law, Jugurtha.
Second: Buchus took this position as a result of his fear of Jugurtha’s betrayal and coup against him
Third: The Roman consul Miltus communicated with King Buchus in an attempt to persuade him not to support Jugurtha, as he tried to tempt him to sign a treaty of friendship and alliance with Rome instead of fighting a mysterious, losing war.
Fourth: Buchus sees Jugurtha in the form of a dishonorable and disloyal person, as if history was taking revenge on him and his actions, beginning with his betrayal of the will of his uncle and benefactor Messipsa, then his killing of his two brothers, and he also dared to wage war against Rome, the last of which was his saving the covenant between him and his brother-in-law, which was In handing over the areas loyal to him from Western Numidia
Fifth: It has become clearly visible that the Roman army in Numidia since Marius took command was achieving continuous superiority, as things always tended in favor of the Roman side, and it cannot be denied that these defeats greatly affected the morale of Buchus, as he began to doubt the possibility of achieving victory against the large Roman forces.
Sixth: And put Buchus in front of two decisive options. The first option is to retain sovereignty over the Mauryan throne through an alliance with the Romans, and they will protect him from any threat, but in this case he will be forced to comply with the conditions and orders of the Romans, the most important of which is cooperation to end the threat of Jugurtha. As for the second option, He supported Jugurtha, and in this case he would have to bear the great consequences because Rome does not tolerate anyone who stands in its way
No matter how many reasons there are, how many justifications there are, and how bad the circumstances are, handing over your neighbor and brother-in-law to his enemy and your enemy is a disgrace on the forehead of every free Amazigh that cannot be forgiven or justified.
This is why we say to every traitor, “punish the traitor,” and it is derived from the position of “punish the traitor.”
Source: websites