Si M'hamed ben Abdelkrim al-Khattabi

Si M'hamed al-Khattabi studied mining engineering in Madrid and Málaga, becoming fluent in Spanish and modern technical sciences. When his older brother Abdelkrim raised the standard of resistance against Spanish colonial forces in 1921, Si M'hamed was appointed chief of staff and Minister of War of the Republic of the Rif.

He expertly deployed captured artillery, organized sophisticated telephone and trench communications across the mountain ridges, and conducted negotiations with foreign governments and journalists. Exiled with his brother to Réunion Island in 1926, he escaped to Cairo in 1947, continuing to advocate for North African liberation until his death.