Spain Used Chemical Weapons Against Civilians in 1920s Rif War, Historians Confirm

The use of mustard gas against the civilian population in the 1920s was contrary to international agreements to which Spain was a party. Successive governments have done everything to keep this illegal act of war hidden. But historians like Sebastian Balfour, María Rosa de Maradiaga, Carlos Lázaro and, more recently, Daniel Macías have looked into the matter. They all agree that the Spaniards resorted to chemical weapons to take their revenge on the Riffians, reports The Conversation.

The decision to use chemical weapons in the Rif War was made in late 1921. A few months later, Spanish pilots began bombing the Riffians with mustard gas. The use of chemical weapons increased with the rise to power of the dictator Miguel Primo de Rivera in September 1923. About 350 bombs per day were produced at the Seville artillery factory in 1924, according to a report from the Deputy Minister of War.

The use of chemical weapons was more noted in 1924 and 1925, during which the Spanish air force bombed the Riffian population with yperite, either on market day or the day before, contaminating the area for two or three weeks. This chemical weapon causes skin burns, eye inflammation, blindness, vomiting, suffocation, etc.

The Spaniards began to reduce the use of chemical weapons after the landing in Al Hoceima in September 1925. These toxic gases were no longer used after the end of the Rif War in July 1927. Their use, however, caused the death of thousands of Moroccans and Spaniards, and respiratory illnesses or blindness in others.