Sellam Amezian

’Mohammed Lhaj Slam Amzian' (1925 in Beni Boukhlef, Al Hoceima, Morocco – 9 September 1995, in Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands) was a Moroccan politician, a member of the Democratic Independence Party and a veteran of the pre-independence guerilla Army of Liberation. He led the Rif Revolt (1958-1959).

Sellam Amezian
ⵍⵃⴰⵊ ⵙⴻⵍⵍⴰⵎ ⴰⵎⵣⵉⴰⵏ
Born1925
Beni Boukhlef , Al Hoceima, Morocco
Died (aged 70)
Bergen op Zoom, The Netherlands
Known forLeader of the Rif Revolt
Political partyDemocratic Independence Party

Early life

Mohammed Sellam Amezian was born in 1925 in Beni Boukhlef, within the Ait Ouriaghel tribe in the Rif region in northern Morocco. He studied at the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez and graduated from it. At the beginning of the fifties, he was sent to teach in Karia Ba Mohamed, where he remained four years, before moving to Tangier and Tetouan to pursue his teaching career. In parallel with his work, he was politically active as a member of the Moroccan Army of Liberation and the Democratic Independence Party.

The Rif Revolt

In October 1958, riots started in the Rif region,[1] as a result of marginalization of the region by the central authority. Sellam Amezian directed this movement. In fact, he embodied all the frustrations associated with independence. He came from a prestigious Riffian lineage that the new ruling class marginalized, he was a member of the MLA and the DIP, both of which the palace and the Istiqlal Party hoped to eliminate. He was also a victim of extortion at the hands of the authorities, having spent more than two years in prison without being formally charged.[2] On 7 October 1958, the protesters issued a chart with a list of demands including "The immediate withdraw of all foreign forces from Morocco, and the return of Abd el-Krim and his family to the country".[3]

The events escalated quickly, and weapons started to be used by both the protesters and the army. The uprising was fiercely oppressed by the army, even using aircraft flown by French pilots. Hundreds were killed and thousands were arrested and wounded. Abd El-Karim estimated the number of detainees in the wake of the Rif uprising at 8420.[4]

Life in exile

After the crush of the Rif Revolt, Sellam Amezian sought initially refuge in Spain before leaving for Egypt then Iraq. He remained in Iraq until 1994 before moving to the Netherlands, where he lived until passing away on 9 September 1995. He was later buried in his hometown of Beni Boukhlef in Morocco.

One of his sons, Mohammed Amezian is a journalist, and worked with Radio Netherlands Worldwide from 2008 to 2017.[5]

References
  1. MOROCCO BATTLES MOUNTAIN REBELS; Mild Uprising in Rif Tribes Said to Be Led by Men of Outlawed Party – (New York Times – 1958)
  2. Reconsidering the Rif Revolt (1958–59)
  3. Rif Uprising of 1958 – When Khattabi Asked for Abdel Nasser's Support – Yabiladi (2018) – In French
  4. The death of Mohsen Fikri and the long history of oppression and protest in Morocco's Rif – Open Democracy (2016).
  5. In Search of my father – Mohammed Amezian – Hespress (2008) – In Arabic
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