''’Mohammed Lhaj Slam Amzian (1925 in Beni Boukhlef,

Al Hoceima Al Hoceima ( ber, translit=Lḥusima, label= Riffian-Berber, ⵍⵃⵓⵙⵉⵎⴰ; ar, الحسيمة; '' es, Alhucemas'') is a Riffian city in the north of Morocco, on the northern edge of the Rif Mountains and on the Mediterranean coast. It i ...

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 t ...

– 9 September 1995, in

Bergen op Zoom Bergen op Zoom (; called ''Berrege'' in the local dialect) is a municipality and a city located in the south of the Netherlands. Etymology The city was built on a place where two types of soil meet: sandy soil and marine clay. The sandy soil ...

The Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

) was a Moroccan politician, a member of the Democratic Independence Party and a veteran of the pre-independence guerilla Army of Liberation. He led the Rif Revolt (1958-1959).

Early life

Mohammed Sellam Amezian was born in 1925 in Beni Boukhlef, within the

Ait Ouriaghel The Ait Ouriaghel (also written as ''Ayt Waryaɣar'' or ''Ayt Uryaɣal'' in Tarifit) is one of the biggest Riffian tribes of the Rif region of the north-eastern part of Morocco and one of the most populous. Ait Waryagher means "those who do not ba ...

trip in the

Rif The Rif or Riff (, ), also called Rif Mountains, is a geographic region in northern Morocco. This mountainous and fertile area is bordered by Cape Spartel and Tangier to the west, by Berkane and the Moulouya River to the east, by the Mediterrane ...

region in northern

. He studied at the

University of al-Qarawiyyin The University of al-Qarawiyyin ( ar, جامعة القرويين; ber, ⵜⴰⵙⴷⴰⵡⵉⵜ ⵏ ⵍⵇⴰⵕⴰⵡⵉⵢⵉⵏ; french: Université Al Quaraouiyine), also written Al-Karaouine or Al Quaraouiyine, is a university located in ...

Fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...

and graduated from it. At the beginning of the fifties, he was sent to teach in

Karia Ba Mohamed Karia Ba Mohamed is a city in northern Morocco, situated in the Atlas Mountains 58 kilometres northwest of the city of Fes. Located near the Sebou River, Karia has a population of some 18,000 people and around 2,000 houses. It is a working class ...

, where he remained four years, before moving to

Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the capi ...

and Tetouan to pursue his teaching career. In parallel with his work, he was politically active as a member of the Moroccan Army of Liberation and the Democratic Independence Party.

The Rif Revolt

In October 1958, riots started in the

region, as a result of marginalization of the region by the central authority. Sellam Amezian directed this movement. In fact, he embodied all the frustrations associated with independence. He came from a prestigious Riffian lineage that the new ruling class marginalized, he was a member of the MLA and the DIP, both of which the palace and the

Istiqlal Party The Istiqlal Party ( ar, حزب الإستقلال, translit=Ḥizb Al-Istiqlāl, lit=Independence Party; french: Parti Istiqlal; zgh, ⴰⴽⴰⴱⴰⵔ ⵏ ⵍⵉⵙⵜⵉⵇⵍⴰⵍ) is a political party in Morocco. It is a conservative and ...

hoped to eliminate. He was also a victim of extortion at the hands of the authorities, having spent more than two years in prison without being formally charged. On 7 October 1958, the protesters issued a chart with a list of demands including "The immediate withdraw of all foreign forces from Morocco, and the return of

Abd el-Krim Muhammad ibn Abd al-Karim al-Khattabi (; Tarifit: Muḥend n Ɛabd Krim Lxeṭṭabi, ⵎⵓⵃⵏⴷ ⵏ ⵄⴰⴱⴷⵍⴽⵔⵉⵎ ⴰⵅⵟⵟⴰⴱ), better known as Abd el-Krim (1882/1883, Ajdir, Morocco – 6 February 1963, Cairo, Egypt) ...

and his family to the country". The events escalated quickly, and weapons started to be used by both the protesters and the army. The uprising was fiercely oppressed by the army, even using aircraft flown by French pilots. Hundreds were killed and thousands were arrested and wounded. Abd El-Karim estimated the number of detainees in the wake of the Rif uprising at 8420.

Life in exile

After the crush of the

Rif Revolt 1958 Rif riots, Rif Revolt or Rif uprising took place in the northern Rif region of Morocco by tribes rebelling against the Moroccan regime, motivated by the region's marginalization. The revolt, led by Sellam Amezian, had a clear set of demands ...

, Sellam Amezian sought initially refuge in Spain before leaving for

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

then

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

. He remained in

until 1994 before moving to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, where he lived until passing away on 9 September 1995. He was later buried in his hometown of Beni Boukhlef in

. One of his sons, Mohammed Amezian is a journalist, and worked with

Radio Netherlands Worldwide Radio Netherlands (RNW; nl, Radio Nederland Wereldomroep) was a public radio and television network based in Hilversum, producing and transmitting programmes for international audiences outside the Netherlands from 1947 to 2012. Its services i ...

from 2008 to 2017.In Search of my father – Mohammed Amezian – Hespress (2008) – In Arabic
/ref>

References

{{Reflist

External links

Documentary on Sellam Amezian (in Arabic and Berber).
Sunni Muslims Berber Moroccans Berber rebels Moroccan Berber politicians Moroccan dissidents Moroccan exiles Moroccan independence activists Moroccan revolutionaries Riffian people University of al-Qarawiyyin alumni 20th-century Moroccan educators 1925 births 1995 deaths