Massacre of El Ouffia explained

Massacre of the El Ouffia tribe
Location:Mitidja, French Algeria
Date:6 April 1832
Partof:the French conquest of Algeria
Native Name:مجزرة العوفية
Target:Algerians of the El Ouffia tribe
Fatalities:100 civilians killed, only 4 survive
Numparts:Chasseurs d'Afrique
300 cavalry of the French Foreign Legion
Dfens:Several members of the El Ouffia tribe
Convicted:none

The Massacre of El Ouffia (French: L'affaire d'El Ouffia) took place on 6 April 1832 during the French conquest of Algeria. It was a war crime committed against the tribe of El Ouffia near El Harrach by the Troupes Coloniales under Colonel Maximilien Joseph Schauenburg.[1]

Historical Context

See main article: French conquest of Algeria.

See also: Chasseurs d'Afrique. In December 1831, Duc de Rovigo arrived in Algiers to establish the French colonial power in Mitidja. His arrival coincided with the reconfiguration of the regiments of Troupes Coloniales involved in the offensive against the Algerian resistance fighters scattered all around the Casbah of Algiers.[2]

Through the ordinance of 17th November 1831, the Chasseurs d'Afrique were created to establish the presence of cavalry capable of rapid incursions into the heart of rebel areas in French North Africa.[3] Four squadrons were formed, and these regiments of horsemen immediately began targeting the insurrectionary tribes around Algiers.[4]

The members of le 1er régiment de chasseurs d'Afrique proved to be disciplined and reliable and were placed under the command of Colonel Maximilien Joseph Schauenburg in order to guarantee the pacification of the suburbs of Algiers.[5]

Raid on El Ouffia

See main article: Origins of the French Foreign Legion. Colonel Schauenburg's cavalry regiment began its raids against the tribes around Algiers (Fahs) in a bloodthirsty and macabre way in the sad attack of the tribe of El Ouffia near the course of Oued El Harrach, which had taken place on 6 April 1832, just five months after the formation of this new regiment.[6]

While this regiment was being equipped with arms and supplies, Colonel Schauenbourg received from Governor Savary the sudden order to leave the Algiers encampment at night towards the bank of Oued El Harrach in a first mission against the Algerians.[7]

The horsemen then began a nocturnal and silent march, which was an ordinary prelude to the raid and carnage which was being prepared against the civilians of the tribe of El Ouffia.[8]

This column of horsemen was led by General Faudoas, who was an officer of the First French Empire like his colleague Colonel Schauenbourg, and this punitive expedition was intended to punish the tribe of El Ouffia and other neighboring allied tribes who were considered dangerous against the French colonial presence in Algiers.[9]

Massacre

General Marquis de Faudoas arrived with Colonel Schauenburg and their horsemen on the night of 6 April 1832 at the village of El Ouffia while the members of the tribe were asleep in their tents.[10]

Due to the strict instructions of the general-in-chief, the Duc de Rovigo, this expeditionary body of troops from Algiers were tasked with slaughtering the civilians of El Ouffia without sparing a single one of them, including women, children and the elderly.[11]

The sleeping Algerians were surprised at dawn on 7 April 1837, and all were slain without attempting to defend themselves.[12]

No one managed to escape the massacre. The horsemen of General Faudoas followed orders to make no distinction regarding the age or sex of their Algerian victims. Both swords and firearms were used to kill the civilians, and there are reports that boiling water was taken from cooking pots and tossed onto the Algerians by dismounted French cavalry.[13]

Upon return from this expedition, the riders of Schauenburg's regiment carried the heads of their victims at the ends of their spears into the city of Algiers. They were met with a mixed reception from the cities population[14]

See also

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Revue des deux mondes . 1860 . Buloz . François . Buloz . Charles . Brunetière . Ferdinand . Charmes . Francis . Doumic . René . Chaumeix . André . 2021-04-23 . 2023-07-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230721031046/https://books.google.com/books?id=rh8ZAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA208 . live .
  2. Web site: L'Univers: Histoire et description de tous les peuples. 1850. 2021-04-23. 2023-07-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20230721031046/https://books.google.com/books?id=qtU1AAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA277. live.
  3. Web site: L'Algérie ancienne et moderne, etc. Vignettes par Raffet et Rouargue frères. 1844. 2021-04-23. 2023-07-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20230721031046/https://books.google.com/books?id=iW9yWvc5FUYC&pg=PA409. live.
  4. Web site: Histoire de l'Algérie ancienne et moderne depuis les premiers établissements des Carthaginois jusques et y compris les dernières campagnes du général Bugeaud: Avec une introduction sur les divers systèmes de colonisation qui ont précédé la conquête française. Galibert. Léon. 1843. 2021-04-23. 2023-07-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20230721031047/https://books.google.com/books?id=UbYTAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA409. live.
  5. Web site: Histoire de l'ancienne Légion Étrangère créée en 1831, licenciée en 1838. (Première partie. Organisation, travaux et opérations militaires de la Légion en Afrique en 1831, 1832, 1833, 1834, 1835 par le général J. Bernelle.-Deuxième partie. Opérations militaires de la Légion en Espagne en 1835, 1836, 1837 par A. De Colleville.) [Edited by A. De Colleville.]. 1850. 2021-04-23. 2023-07-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20230721031050/https://books.google.com/books?id=2KgZoQODTMQC&pg=PA29. live.
  6. Web site: L'Alsace: Le pays et ses habitants. Grad. Charles. 1889. 2021-04-23. 2023-07-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20230721031055/https://books.google.com/books?id=q4BrAGwt6JAC&pg=PA857. live.
  7. Web site: L'Algérie. Histoire, géographie, climatologie, etc. 1865. 2021-04-23. 2023-07-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20230721031052/https://books.google.com/books?id=WCRXAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA400. live.
  8. Web site: Le 1er régiment de chasseurs d'Afrique: 60 illustrations de Gil Baer. Hue. Fernand. 1887. 2021-04-23. 2023-07-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20230721031057/https://books.google.com/books?id=zX4aAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA18. live.
  9. Web site: Le père d'Émile Zola: Les prétendues lettres Combe[s] (Lettre à M. Le procureur de la République. Dhur. Jacques. 1899. 2021-04-23. 2023-07-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20230721031058/https://books.google.com/books?id=xEa_wqXBvuMC&pg=PA178. live.
  10. Web site: admin. 2014-04-07. Cela s'est passé un 7 avril 1832 : Massacre de la tribu El Ouffia d'El Harrach. 2021-03-05. Babzman. fr-FR. 2014-11-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20141124131106/http://www.babzman.com/2014/httpwww-babzman-comp3899/. live.
  11. Web site: Revue de Paris. 1844. 2021-04-23. 2023-07-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20230721031051/https://books.google.com/books?id=niBbAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA105. live.
  12. Web site: Histoire de la conquête de l'Algérie de 1830 à 1847. De Mont-Rond. P. E.. 1847. 2021-04-23. 2023-07-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20230721031049/https://books.google.com/books?id=OGW8m--B-zQC&pg=PA141. live.
  13. Web site: Annales algériennes. 1854. 2021-04-23. 2023-07-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20230721031047/https://books.google.com/books?id=gzMFhqHbyukC&pg=PA247. live.
  14. Book: Fillias, Achille. Histoire de la conquête et de la colonisation de l'Algérie (1830-1860). 1860. Arnauld de Vresse. fr. 2021-04-23. 2023-07-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20230721031046/https://books.google.com/books?id=NxlPDL_T1ToC&pg=PA122. live.

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