Mouha Ou Hammou Zayani, by his full name: Mohammed ou Hammou ben Akka ben Ahmed, also known as Moha Ou Hamou al-Harkati Zayani (c.1863 – 27 March 1921) was a Moroccan Berber military figure and tribal leader who played an important role in the history of

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

. He was the leader (''

Qaid Qaid ( ar , قائد ', "commander"; pl. '), also spelled kaid or caïd, is a word meaning "commander" or "leader." It was a title in the Norman kingdom of Sicily, applied to palatine officials and members of the ''curia'', usually to those ...

'') of the

Zayanes Zayanes ( ber, Azayi (singular), (plural); ) are a Berber population inhabiting the Khenifra region, located in the central Middle Atlas mountains of Morocco. Zayanes tribes are known for their attachment to ancestral land and for their tena ...

people of

Khénifra Khenifra ( Berber: ''Xnifṛa'', ⵅⵏⵉⴼⵕⴰ, ar, خنيفرة) is a city in northern central Morocco, surrounded by the Atlas Mountains and located on the Oum Er-Rbia River. National Highway 8 also goes through the town. The population, a ...

region. His full name was Muhammad Ou Hammou ben Aqqa ben Ahmad, and he is also known as Moha Ou Hamou al-Harkati Zayani. He was the son of Moha Ou Aqqa, the tribal leader of Ayt Harkat.

Biography

Mouha was born in 1857 in the

Middle Atlas The Middle Atlas (Amazigh: ⴰⵟⵍⴰⵙ ⴰⵏⴰⵎⵎⴰⵙ, ''Atlas Anammas'', Arabic: الأطلس المتوسط, ''al-Aṭlas al-Mutawassiṭ'') is a mountain range in Morocco. It is part of the Atlas mountain range, a mountainous region ...

. His father Moha ou Aqqa was the tribal leader of Ayt Harkat. After the death of Ou Aqqa, his oldest son, Said, succeeded him and extended his dominance over his tribe and the Zayane confederation. Mouha succeeded his brother after his death, in 1887. The Sultan Moulay Hassan I gave Mouha the title of

in 1880 or 1886. After the

Treaty of Fes The Treaty of Fes ( ar, معاهدة فاس, ), officially the Treaty Concluded Between France and Morocco on 30 March 1912, for the Organization of the French Protectorate in the Sherifien Empire (), was a treaty signed by Sultan Abd al-Hafid o ...

(1912), which put Morocco under the French Protectorate, Zayani, at the head of the

tribe, started a guerrilla war, known as the

Zaian War Zayanes ( ber, Azayi (singular), (plural); ) are a Berbers, Berber population inhabiting the Khenifra region, located in the central Middle Atlas mountains of Morocco. Zayanes tribes are known for their attachment to ancestral land and for the ...

. He managed to unite several Berber tribes of the

and fought smaller battles. The town of Khénifra was lost to the advancing French forces in June 1914, but in November of the same year, the

Battle of El Herri The Battle of El Herri (also known as Elhri) was fought between France and the Berber people, Berber Zaian Confederation on 13 November 1914. It took place at the small settlement of El Herri, near Khénifra in the French protectorate in Morocc ...

took place and Zayani inflicted heavy losses (around 600 casualties) upon the French military. The battle was later dubbed the 'Moroccan Dien Bien Phu' in reference to the decisive battle in the

French Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina from 19 December 1946 to 20 July 1954 between France and Việt Minh (Democratic Republic of Vi ...

. Despite the victory, Zayani could not secure Khénifra and retired in to the region of Taoujgalt, where he recruited more men and prepared for further attacks against the French army. In May 1920, his sons Hassan and Amharoq who then led the Zayan tribe, surrendered to General Poeymirau. His daughter Rabaha married Sultan Abd al-Hafid.

Death

On 27 March 1921, Mouha was killed in a battle at Azelag N'Tazemourte against his son Hassan, who led a zayyani detachment.

Burial

He was buried at Ben Cherro near Tamalakt.

References

External links

tomb of Moha ou Saïd in Ben Cherro
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ou Hammou Zayani, Mouha 1857 births 1921 deaths 19th-century Moroccan people 20th-century Moroccan people Berber Moroccans Berber rebels Moroccan Caids Moroccan military leaders Moroccan independence activists People from Khenifra