Conflicts & Resolutions · War

Rif War

1921–1926 · 20th century · Also known as Third Rif War

The Rif War was fought from 1921 to 1926 between Spain, joined by France in 1925, and the Berber tribes of the Rif mountains in northern Morocco, led by Abd el-Krim, who founded the Republic of the Rif. The Spanish disaster at Annual in July 1921 cost thousands of lives and contributed to Primo de Rivera's coup in 1923. A Franco-Spanish landing at Alhucemas in 1925 turned the war, and Abd el-Krim surrendered in May 1926.

Rif War
Image: 296cherry · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Battles and settlements

Mentioned in 1 state history

Spanish protectorate in Morocco

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Rif War. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/rif-war
MLA
“Rif War.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/rif-war. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Rif War.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/rif-war.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Rif War’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/rif-war (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻