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Why did Spanish troops retreat in disorder from Annual during the Rif War?

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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.

The retreat of Spanish troops from Annual in July 1921 was triggered by an ill-considered decision by Gen. Manuel Fernández Silvestre to evacuate the frontline post. This hasty withdrawal caused panic among the Spanish forces, leading them to flee in general disorder from Annual and subsequent fall-back positions.12

The collapse was exacerbated by the systemic failures of the Spanish colonial army, which was poorly organized, trained, supplied, and commanded. A subsequent investigation, known as the Expediente Picasso, confirmed that the rout was the result of:1

Negligible military leadership2
Poor troop morale and training2
Problematic frontline logistics2
Shoddy equipment2

This chaotic retreat allowed the forces of Abd el-Krim to push the Spanish back to Melilla, resulting in the loss of all territory Spain had occupied in the region since 1909 and between 8,000 and 10,000 Spanish deaths.12