Have you ever read about the colonization of Algeria? Have you heard about Lalla Fadhma?
Historians documented Algeria’s losses and reported that 1/3 of its population perished between 1830 and 1872. In this context, one can imagine how brave the people of Algeria were.
As we know, the war heroines are often forgotten in our history books.
So let’s learn about this smart, courageous and pious woman who stood up against the French army, Lalla Fadhma(Fatma) n’Soumer.
She was born in 1830 in the Kabylie region of Algeria and had memorized the whole Quran when she was a teenager. Meanwhile she refused marriage proposal to be able to continue her studies.
Then in 1847 she joined the resistance and later was made a leader by the Kabylie’s tribes’ council of combatants.
At 24 years old, during the battle of Oued Sebaou, Fadhma headed an army of men and women to victory against French Marshal Randon and his French army.
Refusing the defeat, Marshal Randon asked for more French troops and tried to bribe and scare the other tribes to exterminate Lalla Fadhma. None of the tribe accepted to betray her.
After another defeat Randon asked for a ceasefire in 1854.
However after less than 3 years the French broke the ceasefire.
Consequently outnumbered and outgunned the Resistance lost. Lalla Fadhma was captured on 27 July 1857.