Sheik Bouamama

Sheik Bouamama belonged to the branch of the ghraba (those of the west), an big family of the west Oran board. He proclaimed the fight to remove the country and his inhabitants from the yoke of the French occupation . Its combat lasted until in 1908.

Preliminary conditions with the resistance of Sheik Bouamama

Since the resistance of Ouled Sidi Sheik, the area of the Oranian south has a relative autonomy in the management of its internal businesses. Because of weak concentration of colonists in this area where even the French Army has only one station in Labiod Sidi Sheik - fraction of the chraga. But since these battles, the family of Ouled Sidi Sheik dispersed. Some of its members are constrained with the exile in Morocco whereas for others, it is the exodus towards the areas of the extreme south where they are established in the area of Goléa.

The truce observed by the inhabitants of the area in resistance whom they had started in 1864 does not last a long time. The branch of the ghraba of Ouled Sidi Sheik emerges on the scene through the fight carried out by Sheik If Mâamar ibn sheik Tayeb, chief of the branch of the ghraba against what he regards as the enemy in the area, as from the month of April 1875. However, this last is constrained to be withdrawn and is assigned with residence.

But completed at once the period going from 1878 to 1880, another personality of the same branch emerges, namely Sheik Bouamama who undertakes the fight against French colonialism and is opposed to its expansion in the Saharan areas.

Causes of the resistance of the Sheik Bouamama

The refusal of the French occupation by the Algerian people constitutes the most important factor having pushed Sheik Bouamama to prepare and organize the revolutionary action. But there also exists without any doubt a whole of reasons having contributed for a great part to accelerate the release of the revolt.

Immediate causes

The assassination on April 22nd, 1881 of a French officer, lieutenant Wayne Bruner which occupies the post of head of the Arab office of the area of El Bayadh, like four of its guards among the spahis. This officer tried to put a term at the activity of the Sheik Bouamama.

Indirect causes

From his statute of man of religion and chief of zaouia, Sheik Bouamama is impregnated idea of the holy fight against the colonizing Christians conquerors .

The appearance of ideas reformists like the call of Djamel Eddine El Afghani and the Sultan Abdul Hamid II with the installation of an Islamic alliance within the framework of the Islamic khalifat as a base of change of the situation of the Moslems and in order to drive out the colonizing and the part played by the preachers of the tariqa (the way) senoussya in the sensitizing of the populations of the areas of the Sahara against the penetration of colonialism also goes in this direction.

Causes of the economic situation

The misery which had with the policy followed by the French administration, in particular prohibition made with certain tribes move between 1879 and 1881, in particular those of Aflou, El Bayadh as well as the wandering tribes of the mounts of Ksour, thus causing a serious dissatisfaction. This prohibition resulted in the death of most of the livestock, the percentage of losses having reached for the only area of Aflou approximately 80%, that is to say three hundred animals including 37% for the year 1879-1880 and 43% for the year 1880-1881.

This degradation of the economic situation in the area of the Oranian south contributes to the flashover of the fight and the release of resistance.

The will expressed by the French authorities to establish a military station of observation in Ksar Tiout after the failure of the official delegation in the study of the project of extension of the railway through the Sahara, from the western south towards the department of Oran in 1879 is also a source of dissatisfaction with the populations.

Stages of resistance

First stage

Sheik Bouamama does not declare the fight against French colonialism, in the area of the Oranian south that after having prepared all the Saharan tribes by the means of the disciples of the brotherhood divided through the area in particular the tribes of Trafi, Rézaynia, of El ahrar, Frenda and Tiaret. This propaganda finds a broad echo near the tribes of Love, Hamiane and Chaamba. Sheik Bouamama succeeds in gathering approximately two thousand three hundred soldiers between riders and infantrymen. The first military confrontation between Sheik Bouamama and the French troops take place on April 27th, 1881 with the Sfisifa locality in the south of Ain Sefra, and are completed by the defeat of the French Army and death with the field of honor of certain men of Sheik Bouamama among whom the chief of Maâlif and the chief of Rézaynia.

Taking into account the gravity of the situation, the French authorities hasten to send additional reinforcements towards the area in order to repress the revolt. The reinforcements sent to the area are composed of:

two battalions directed by the caïd Kaddour ould Adda;
the battalion of Tiaret directed by El Hadj Kaddour Al Sahraoui;
a caravan of two thousand five hundred camel drivers accompanied by six hundred Algerian.

These troops are ordered by the Colineau general Of Annecy, ordering military sector of Mascara.

The second military confrontation between Algerians and French takes place on May 19th, 1881 with the locality El Mouilek, located close to Ksar Chellala in the Ksours mounts.

According to the French reports/ratios, this battle caused losses for the two parts, those of the French being estimated at sixty killed and twenty-two wounded.

After this battle, Sheik Bouamama moves towards Labiod Sidi Sheik; what helps the insurrectionists during this period to cut wire of the telegraph connecting Frenda to El Bayadh and to tackle the centers of the free-Algerian company of the allies, killing out of many Spanish employees of this company, which leads the French authorities to take certain measurements to protect their interests, in particular by gathering four strong columns at the following points:

the company of Short-nap cloth El My entrusted to colonel Janine;
the Békhither company under the command of colonel Zouini;
the company of Tiaret entrusted to colonel Brounoussiart;
the company of El Bayadh directed by colonel Tadieu then by colonel Négrier.

The French authorities engage of the fast movements consisting in sending troops towards the western south in order to encircle the insurrection, for then being propagated in the area and extending its influence on all the ksours Oranian west.

Colonel Négrier is charged to restore the order. August 15th, 1881 it makes bombard the mausoleum of Sidi Sheik and layman his tomb. Summary executions have place on the populations isolated from the plains and hills in the area of El Bayadh or Chellala Dahrania

Between September and October 1881, the French troops ordered by the Coligneau general and the Louis general are attacked by the moudjahidines close to Ain Sefra.

The Louis general makes destroy both ksours that has Sheik Bouamama, namely the higher ksar of Meghrar and the lower ksar of Meghrar as well as the zaouia of Sheik Bouamama.

For this period, Sheik If Slimane Benhamza, chief of Ouled Sidi Sheik el ghraba (those of the west) adopts the revolt of Bouamama, with the head of three hundred riders. He moves with his troops towards the western north of Ain Sefra and towards the area of Bekakra in order to making pressure on the insurgent tribes.

Taking into account the numerical increase in the colonial troops which receive reinforcements of all the areas, the pressure increases on Sheik Bouamama which is constrained to be withdrawn in direction of the area of Figuig in Morocco, where his activity decreases and its partisans disperse.

Some among them join If Kaddour Benhamza, chief of Ouled Sidi Sheik chraga (those of the east), while others join the ranks of Sheik If Slimane Benhamza, chief of Ouled Sidi Sheik el ghraba (those of the west); the remainder of the combatants is established with Figuig and its surroundings.

April 16th, 1882, the troops of occupation pursue Sheik Bouamama on the Moroccan ground but it reacts by a counter-attack on the chott of Tighri which causes considerable human losses.

Second phase

In July 1883, Sheik Bouamama is established in his native village, el Hammam el fougani, in fine Figuig to undertake the reorganization of his troops for the future.

Worry about this intense activity, the colonial authorities address a telegram signed by the general Soucié, chief of the 19th battalion, with the government of Paris, inviting it to exert pressures on the Sultan of Morocco so that it drives out Sheik Bouamama of the Moroccan territory because it constitutes a danger to the interests of France in the area.

Sheik Bouamama must leave the area towards the end of the year 1883 to take refuge in Touat and to ask for the protection of the inhabitants of the oasis of Deldoul. He there remains up to 1894 and founds a zaouia where he undertakes to exempt a religious teaching in order to continue his combat and to stop the French expansion in the western south. He addresses messages to the whole of the chiefs of the Saharan tribes, in particular the Tuaregs which propose to him to come to settle on their premises in order to be able to help in the fight. In addition, certain tribes installed at the borders algéro-Morrocan women join with him.

The French authorities try to choke the revolt and to limit of it the extension in the south by the installation of economic establishments like the creation of shopping malls in the territory of Touat and of Tadikalt.

Third stage

Whereas Sheik Bouamama succeeded in rejoining many partisans and gaining the confidence of the populations of the Saharan areas. The colonial authorities try to rejoin it with their cause. Contacts are made by the means of the French Delegation in Tangier in 1892 in order to negotiate with him the question of mercy (negotiated peace) but do not lead to any result.

The friendly relations which exist between Sheik Bouamama and the Moroccan authorities cause the concern of the French authorities, in particular after he is recognized as chief of the tribes of Ouled Sidi Sheik having under his authority all the Saharan areas. They try once again to gain its friendship in order to facilitate their attempts at expansion and to extend their influence on the Saharan areas. For that, the Laverrière general governor decides on October 16th, 1899 to grant total mercy without conditions.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Sheik Bouamama enters to Morocco and settles in the area of Oujda.

Consequences of the resistance of Sheik Bouamama

the insurrection of Sheik Bouamama constitutes an important challenge vis-a-vis the policy of IIIe République aiming at the finishing of the operations of total occupation of Algeria and manages to delay and block the French projects in south-west.
the revolt of Sheik Bouamama represents the final stage of the strategy of the national leaderships in the confrontation of French colonialism through the popular resistances based primarily on the religion as a mobilizing factor of the Algerians in the fight against the occupant.
the revolt of Sheik Bouamama is one of the most violent popular resistances during the 19th century after the resistance of the Emir Abdelkader.
the revolt of Sheik Bouamama reveals the weakness of the French in the confrontation of resistance, which lead them to seek political solutions in order to put an end to the revolt in particular after the second phase 1883-1892, when the question of mercy (truce) arises sought by the French authorities at Bouamama which rejects it through the correspondences and the talks undertaken by France.
the human losses and material are among the most notable consequences of the revolt.
the revolt accelerated the completion of the projects of railway in the area connecting north to the south.
Even if, because of the obstacles met and more precisely the difficulties of unifying the two branches of Ouled Sidi Sheik as well as the pressures exerted by the Moroccan Sultan Abdelaziz on the revolt and its containment at the borders, the resistance of Sheik Bouamama could not carry out its objective which was to drive out the colonialism of the area, it however showed its capacities of resistance by the blocking of the expansion of colonialism in the area.

See too

External bond

Source: http://algerian-history.info/resbouamama.htm

Random links: