A file photo for Morocco’s resistance hero Mohammed Abdul Kareem Al-Khatabi

By Al-Amin Andalusi, IOL correspondent

TANGIER, September 8 (IslamOnline.net) – The sky was pouring sulfur-similar liquids, people went blind and frail, cattle perished and vast swathes of farmlands became wastelands. This was the scene in northern Morocco over 75 years ago, according to a living Moroccan Eyewitness.

Mohammad Farji is approaching 100 years of age, but he still has vivid memories and clear flashbacks about what he said were "chemical attacks by the invading Spanish troops into northern Morocco " in the late twenties of the twentieth century.

The old man recalled how the Spanish troops attacked the countryside with internationally-banned weapons, devastating his small farmland and thousands of acres of fertile lands. 

For long years now, several Moroccan NGOs have been working hard to establish the link between high rates of cancer among Northern Moroccans and the Spanish gas attacks some three quarters of a century ago.

From there, they were calling on the Spanish government to admit such crimes and at least offer an apology, let alone to pay reparations for many Moroccans who were afflicted with cancer.

“ Northern Morocco was subject to attacks with chemical weapons and many residents of the area are suffering from cancer due to the Spanish attacks,” Chairman of the Association of the Victims of the Countryside’s Poisonous Gases Ilias Al-Amari told IslamOnline.net Wednesday, September 8.

According official estimates, he added, some 60% of the Moroccan cancer patients are concentrated in the North.

"Until recently, we had no certain evidence establishing the link between high rates of cancer infections in North Morocco and Spanish gas attacks. However, the link was established recently based on scientific studies carried out in Britain ."

In this regard, Amari pointed out to a comparative study by the British researcher and historian Sebastian Balfour that concluded Spanish chemical attacks were the only plausible and scientifically accepted cause behind the spread of cancer among Moroccans in the area.

Reparations

So far, the Association of the Victims of the Countryside’s Poisonous Gases, established in 1999, still demands the Spanish government to admit its crimes in northern Morocco and compensate the families of the victims.  

“We tell Spain that you have launched gas attacks at that time when there was a law banning this deadly weapon. Now we want the Spanish government to plead guilty,” he said.

“Then, residents of the area will have the right to demand reparations.”

He continued: “Ironically enough, Spain committed the crime immediately after signing the 1925 Geneva Agreement, which regard as war crimes the use of poisonous gases.

“We have documents proving that Spain used such poisonous gases starting from 1925 and intensely used them in 1926-27 to retaliate for their defeat at the Moroccan resistance at the time.”

He further added that his NGO has documents of calls by resistance hero Mohammad Bin Abdul Kareem Al-Khatabi, on the International Committee of the Red Cross to immediately intervene and protect his fellow citizens from a Spanish genocide.

Suspicious Silence

Despite the long sufferings of Moroccans, the poisonous subject remained discreet as many Spanish historians ignored it, whether for being close the Spanish government at the time or for being military personnel themselves.

Amari further criticized the Moroccan government for its “sepulchral silence” over the issue.

"We ask the Moroccan government to at least leave us follow the issue freely. We know Morocco has its diplomatic and political considerations over the issue."

Silence Broken

Silence could not drag on forever though.

In 1990, two German researchers, Rudd Bert Knoz and Ralph Deiter Muller, issued a book entitled "Poisonous Gas Against Al-Khatabi", that contained horrific details, in addition to secrets that were not previously disclosed. These included Germany 's selling chemical gases to Spain between 1922 and 1927 and helping Spain build a factory for chemical weapons in Toledo , as per the book.

That book encouraged Spanish and other European historians to break the wall of silence enveloping the issue.

Balfour, London University professor, spent four long years in research and investigation, crowning them with a book entitled "Fatal Hug", in which he revealed that the Spanish chemical attacks on northern Morocco were the third of their kind in human history. Poison gases were first used during WWI, and secondly by Britain against Iraq in 1919.

Testimonies by eyewitnesses then started pouring in from Spanish and foreigners who were in Morocco at the time of the attacks. Spanish High Commissioner in Tatwan – capital of Spanish mandatory of Morocco back then – wrote down his own testimony.

Also, the French General Consul in Morocco at the time put down his own testimony, along with others.

Balfour insists Spain must apologize to Moroccan countryside residents and to Moroccans, in general, for using poison gas and killing thousands of people.

According to observers, Spain is reluctant to admit its crimes against the Moroccan people as it would give a pretext to thousands of Moroccans to ask the Spanish government for millions of dollars in compensation.

They believe such a Spanish apology would also encourage Moroccans hailing from Andalusia to ask for a Spanish apology for brutal practices against their ancestors between the 13^th century and the 17^th century.