Evening star., 1953-08-20
Picture on Poee AS.


has been giving the French
trouble by his encouragement to
misunderstanding National
lists, was ousted after the tough
Berber tribesmen of Pasha THANH
ell Glaoui of Marrakech, the
Sultan'S bitter foe, began to
march in from the hills on the
palace at Rabat.
A fierce civil war threatened
between fanatical NationalistS
supporting Sidi Mohammed and
the warlike Berber countrymen
who follow Ell Glaoui.
The French clamped cur
few on their tense North Afri-
can protectorate, where press
censorship already is in effect,
Immediately after announcing
the drastic action.
The dethronement, said the
French Foreign Office, was de-
cided upon because France
'tfound herself confronted with
an unequivocal will expressed
with extreme firmness by the
immense majority of the Moroc-
can people"
The Sultan and his sons were
reported already en- route to Cor
sica, birthplace of Napoleon.
There was no immediate in
dication of who would assume
the throne in the turbulent
North African protectorate.
The announcement of the ac-
tion was made just after French
Resident General Augustin Gull
laume had returned to Nor
occo from Paris and talked with
the Sultan at his palace in
Rabat.
Deposing of the Sultan, who
succeeded his father in 1927, was
a victory for the wealthy, pro-
French Pasha of Marrakech,
who accused the monarch of
violating his religious vows by
taking a hand in politics.
Believed Cabinet Decision.
Presumably, the French de-
ciSion to take sides with ell
Glaoui, their best friend in
Morocco for 40 years, against
the Sultan, whom they were
sworn to protect under their
treaty of 1912, was taken at a
French cabinet meeting in Paris
today.
After long agitation, ell Glaoui
summoned a mass meeting of
chiefs and caids at Marrakech
last week end and demanded the
Sultan'S custer.
The upshot was that he en-
gineered a coup in which he
proclaimed Moulay Mohammed
Ben Arafa, uncle of the Sultan
as the new imam, or religious
leader. The Sultan nominally is
both temporal and religious
ruler of Morocco, but his re-
ligiouS powers were the basis of
his rule. The Sultan Indignantly
def1ed el Glavoni.
Ell Glaoui had threatened to
turn against the French unless
they cracked down on the mon
arch.
q. S. Has Big Stakes.
Bloody rioting in recent days
had taken at least 40 lives in
Morocco, where the United
States has a big stake. The
United States has spent, or is
planning to spend $500 million
for five big airbaSes in the Stra-
tegic protectorate at the north
west corner of Africa.
1t remained to be seen whether
q gloomy civil war between the
warlike followers of Ell Glaoui
and the fanatical Nationalist
adherentS of the Sultan would
result. Many Nationalists in the
Arab world have been warning
against any effort to unseat the
Sultan.
Gen. Guillaume made a hur-
ried trip to Paris yesterday and
conferred with cabinet members.
He returned to North Africa last
night without a cabinet decision
having been announced. On ar
irving in Morocco, however, he
said, II am expecting instruc-
tions."
Before seeing the Sultan at
his palace today, he conferred
with Ell Glaoui at CaSablanca.
At that time reports were spread
ing that the Berbers were NOV
ing into the valleys toward the
Moroccan capital at Rabat and
threatening to bring a showdown
m Ahd FL Kebir the hio MOSlem