Rif War Centennial: Abdelkrim’s 1923 Prisoner Exchange Shaped Spanish-Moroccan Relations

The 328 prisoners released, out of more than 10,000 soldiers sent to the front, were transported to Melilla, after two and a half years of captivity in Ajdir. The others died of illness, torture and famine, reports Republica.

To free these Spanish prisoners, Abdelkrim had set conditions. In a letter published in the newspaper La Libertad, he demanded "payment of the cash amount, and the return of all Muslims imprisoned or detained in prisons in Spain or Morocco, for various reasons".

The negotiations with Abdelkrim had been suspended several times due to political interference and private interests. The government finally gave full powers to the Bilbao businessman, Horacio Echevarrieta, to conduct the negotiations for the release of the Spanish prisoners.

This became effective on January 28, 1923. "Yesterday, at eight o’clock in the morning, the captives arrived in Melilla. Mr. Echevarrieta returned to Malaga," the newspaper La Voz headlined on the front page on January 29, 1923.