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In the presence of representatives of Moroccan authorities, the French consular service in Morocco, and French officials, the official ceremony inaugurating the new cemetery and military section in Alnif-Bougafer on February 12 sparked debate. Online, some users criticized the French involvement and condemned the initiative. Held during the commemoration period of the 1933 Battle of Bougafer, the last stronghold to fall under the Protectorate, the ceremony was intended to honor the Moroccan goumiers and preserve a shared historical memory.
Locally, however, the Bougafer Association for Development has long advocated for the rehabilitation of memorial sites in the region. Youssef Benaamar, a former president and current member of the NGO, told Yabiladi that the ceremony was attended by the association’s current president, who had been invited. «We were not involved in organizing the event», he said. «We were invited to speak because of our longstanding efforts to rehabilitate historical sites in the region».
«For 42 days during the Battle of Bougafer, nearly 12,000 Aït Atta, led by Assou Oubaslam, resisted 80,000 French troops and aerial bombardment before a truce was reached on March 25», Benaamar recalled. «This shows that the issue of the cemetery must be addressed in all its dimensions». He noted that the association, founded in 1992, has been commemorating the battle for three decades as part of its mission to preserve the memory of that period.
«We organize multi-day events and school outreach activities every February and March. We invite writers, researchers, and activists. In the same spirit, we have campaigned to restore historical sites, with the support of local residents, to highlight how our ancestors mobilized against the French Protectorate».
A project under discussion since 2012
The association has taken an interest in the cemetery site since 2012. «After being abandoned in the early 1980s, the area was used as a public dump for many years», Benaamar said. In addition to the 15 goumiers buried there, the cemetery contains 63 graves of local residents and newcomers to the area.
In 2013, La Koumia, an NGO that has worked since the 1980s to raise awareness about the history of Moroccan goumiers, held a conference in the region, paving the way for cooperation. «The aim was to restore the site for the dignity of the living as much as for the dead, and to prevent the erasure of this chapter of history, regardless of who is buried there», Benaamar explained.
At the time, the municipality rebuilt the cemetery wall, while La Koumia pledged around 30,000 dirhams toward restoration. The total cost was estimated at 90,000 dirhams, a sum the local association could not cover. La Koumia then sought additional funding, and the French Ministry of the Armed Forces responded. Since then, the project has been supported by the French Embassy in coordination with Moroccan authorities.
Benaamar stressed that his association is also working to restore other cemeteries alongside various local development projects.
«We want to preserve every trace of the battle, but that does not mean endorsing the colonial past», he said. «It is similar to the collective reparations carried out as part of Morocco’s transitional justice process. Restoring a former detention site does not justify past abuses; it ensures they are remembered so they are not repeated».
He added that while French soldiers’ remains were repatriated to France after the battle, the goumiers were left buried locally. «Restoring the site is not about honoring the Protectorate, but about preserving local heritage that bears witness to these events».
According to Benaamar, the initiative should not prevent efforts to strengthen the Moroccan narrative. «Some self-appointed activists online have criticized the project and claimed to speak on behalf of the Aït Atta, yet they have never previously demanded reparations from France», he said.
Enriching the Moroccan narrative
Also speaking to Yabiladi, historian Mohamed El Mesnaoui, a specialist in the region’s history, said the debate presents «an opportunity to reflect on how to enrich our Moroccan narrative and rehabilitate the fighters who fell at Bougafer in their struggle against French colonization».
He noted that the Battle of Bougafer is emblematic of popular armed uprisings that remain underrepresented in official history. «Many who died for Morocco between the 1920s and 1940s are barely documented», he said, calling on the High Commission for Former Resistants and Members of the Liberation Army (HCARAMAL) to intensify efforts to identify and honor these fighters.
«These traces are disappearing», El Mesnaoui warned. «At this stage, even a symbolic cemetery honoring those who died at Bougafer would be a meaningful first step in the spirit of collective reparation».
While he acknowledged that some may question the timing of the official inauguration, he maintained that organizers have the right to proceed. More broadly, he said the debate should prompt Morocco to deepen research and recognition of fighters whose status remains undefined in official archives, in order to restore overlooked chapters of national history.
