The Kabkab massacre...the day France exterminated Muslim scholars in Chad

The Kabkab massacre resulted in the slaughter of more than 400 scholars, tribal elders and leaders in the Chadian city of Abéché (Getty)

A massacre committed by French colonial forces in Chad in 1917, in which more than 400 scholars, jurists and local Muslim leaders were killed, and their throats were cut with machetes.

The massacre paved the way for the French colonialists to tyranny in the region, eliminating the Islamic religion and the Arabic language, stripping people of their identity, and weakening the elements of their unity and strength.

Historical background

At the end of the 19th century AD, French colonialism began to invade the African continent and seize its countries. One of its ambitions was to seize the region that was later known as Chad, which at that time included two distinct parts. In the north, a strong Islamic state was established known as the “Wadi Kingdom.” Arabic was the language spoken there, in addition to being the official language and the language of science.

As for the south, fragmented tribal states spread, dominated by pagan worship.

The French tightened their control over the south without much difficulty, and were able to spread the French language and culture, and missionary missions played an effective role in converting people to Christianity, but the way was not paved for French colonialism to subjugate the Muslim north.

The colonizer faced difficulty in dealing with the politically cohesive front led by Rabah al-Zubair, the ruler of the Kingdom of Ouday. Following his martyrdom, his son, Fadlallah, carried the banner of resistance. The country’s scholars and jurists were a unified front behind the resistance, urging people to stand up to colonialism and push it back.

After years of fighting and bloody battles, and heavy losses incurred by both sides, the French were able to extend their control over the kingdom in 1911, and renamed it Chad. France abolished Islamic laws and the Sharia judicial system, imposed French law and the Christian religion, and made French the official language of the country.

The city of Abéché in Chad, where the massacre caused a sharp decline in its population for fear of the oppression of the occupation (Al-Jazeera)

The cause of the massacre

The threat of popular resistance remained for the French, despite their military control over the region, as they were unable to impose their culture, and the people refused to submit to them, receive French education, and convert from Islam, and the matter worsened, especially after fatwas were spread about some jurists to kill the French.

Meanwhile, a French officer was killed by a resident of the city of Abéché. He was stabbed during the weekend celebrations, and the French officer's colleagues shot the killer at that time and killed him.

Many accounts of the incident were mentioned, in which some details of the incident and the identity of both the killer and the victim differed.

Some accounts mention that the colonel of the "Mayakna" tribe had reported to Colonel "Muhammad Dakum", who was appointed by the French Colonel "Hiller", to the commander of the French campaign in Abche, "Girard", and told him that Dakum was not loyal to the French, and that he was conspiring with the jurists against them, and he confirmed French spies and jurists sometimes came to Colonel Dacom's house, which increased Girard's suspicions.

Label

That massacre was called “Kabkab,” which is not an Arabic word, but rather taken from the French word (coupe), which means “to cut.” This is because the victims of the massacre were killed by cutting off their heads with a cleaver. Therefore, some sources also call the massacre “the cleaver massacre.”

Facts

The great influence enjoyed by the Muslim scholars in Chad worried the French colonialists, and they feared rebellious movements motivated by the fatwas and incitement of the jurists. They planned a major deception with the aim of eliminating the scholars of Chad in one fell swoop, and then facilitating the elimination of the elements of power in society, namely the Islamic religion and the Arabic language.

Based on the plan, the French invited scholars from all regions of Chad to the city of Abéché, which was the country’s capital at the time. The French promoted that the goal of the meeting was to discuss the country’s conditions, try to reach satisfactory solutions regarding its administration, and celebrate the coronation of the Chadian Colonel “Mohamed Dokoum,” whom she appointed. France has power over Muslims.

The victims of the massacre were killed by cutting off their heads with a cleaver, so it was also called the “cleaver massacre” (social media)

"Girard" summoned the sergeant, "Samba Samori", who was of Senegalese origin, and ordered him to bring him the heads of Dokum and his deputy, Bharam, the next morning, and kill everyone who was present with them. The sergeant provided Samba with 40 soldiers armed with machetes, and then "Girard" assigned the officer, "Bolly". “By tightening security at the entrances to the city.

On November 15, 1917, after the dawn prayer, the religious scholars, their students, and many local leaders gathered in the courtyard of the mosque of the city of Abéché, including the new Sultan Dakum and his deputy, Bahram. Suddenly, the soldiers shot Colonel Dakum in the head, and he fell dead. They killed everyone who was present in the mosque courtyard with firearms and machetes, and orders were also issued to kill all the jurists who live in the “Shaq al-Fuqaha” neighborhood.

The massacre resulted in the slaughter of more than 400 scholars, tribal sheikhs and leaders, and they were buried in a mass grave in the “Umm Kamel” valley in Abeche. The massacre was accompanied by the seizure of the property of the victims and their families, and the looting of the “Shaq al-Fuqaha” neighborhood.

The French forces were not satisfied with the Abeche massacre, but the killing spread to other areas of Ouaddaï, and continued for several days, forcing many scholars and residents to emigrate to neighboring countries, in addition to dozens of influential Chadian scholars and politicians who were exiled by the French themselves.

Following the massacre, the French authorities investigated the tragedy that had occurred, and the French commander, "Girard", was considered directly responsible for what happened, so he was removed from his position and expelled from the army in 1922.

The effects left by the massacre

The massacre left devastating effects on Chadian society in political, cultural, social and scientific aspects, most notably:

Cultural and scientific effects:

A cultural setback befell the region, as the country’s best scholars in jurisprudence, interpretation, hadith, and the Arabic language, and others who contributed to Islamic civilization, were killed. This resulted in a decline in the level of Islamic education and the Arabic language and their spread, due to the dwindling numbers of scholars, especially after the migration of many of those who survived. To neighboring countries, as a result of the persecution campaign that continued after the massacre.

The colonialists deliberately burned sources of Islamic heritage, including books, manuscripts, and scientific documents, looted some of them and sent them to museums in France, and destroyed Islamic antiquities created by the long years of Islamic rule in the region.

Religious educational institutions were transformed into government educational centers, education in the French language was imposed, Muslims were forced to send their children to Christian schools, the use of the Arabic language was prohibited, and mosques and Qur’anic centers were burned, in a fierce campaign to strip people of their Islamic identity and weaken the elements of their strength and cultural unity.

Political effects:

The events of the massacre horrified the sultans, tribal sheikhs, and the general public in the country. The voice of their revolution faded, the fuse of resistance weakened, and the matter was given to the French authorities in ruling the country. They were able to establish the laws of French rule and impose the Christian religion and the French language on the people, after having previously faced Violent resistance.

According to a decree issued in 1920, Chad became a colony directly linked to the French Colonial General Government, then known as “French Equatorial Africa”.

The massacre caused a sharp decline in the population of the city of Abéché, as huge numbers of people, scholars, and princes emigrated for fear of the oppression of the French occupation.

Source: websites