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Why did Abd el-Krim surrender to French forces rather than Spanish forces in May 1926?

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Spanish soldiers operate artillery cannons in a desert landscape near Melilla, with smoke billowing as a cannon fires during a 1930s battle. — Rif War Spanish artillery firing outside Melilla during the Rif War.

Abd el-Krim surrendered to the French on May 27, 1926, primarily because the French offered him and his family protection in exchange for the unconditional surrender of his forces and the immediate release of all French and Spanish prisoners.1

While the Rif War was fought against both Spanish and French colonial powers, the French provided a specific guarantee of safety that was central to his decision to end the conflict. Following his surrender, Abd el-Krim and his immediate family were exiled to the French island of Réunion, where they remained for 21 years.1