Treaty of Fes

The Treaty of Fes, officially the treaty concluded between France and Morocco on 30 March 1912 for the organization of the French protectorate in the Sharifian Empire, was signed on that date by Sultan Abd al-Hafid of Morocco, under duress, and the French diplomat Eugene Regnault. It established the French protectorate in Morocco and remained in effect until the Franco-Moroccan Joint Declaration of 2 March 1956. The treaty let France occupy parts of the country on the pretext of protecting the Sultan from internal opposition and left France holding real power behind the mask of indirect rule by the Sultan and the Sharifian government. The French Resident-General held absolute powers in external and internal affairs and alone could represent Morocco abroad, while the Sultan kept only the right to sign the decrees, called dahirs, that the Resident-General submitted. When news of the treaty reached the Moroccan public it caused an immediate violent backlash, the Intifada of Fes.