The History of Algeria: Colonization, Resistance, and Independence — Fexingo History

The 1845 Dahra Enfumades and France's War on Civilians

In June 1845, French Colonel Pélissier ordered over 500 members of the Ouled Riah tribe to be asphyxiated in the caves of Dahra, west of Algiers. This episode examines the systematic use of smoke suffocation — the enfumade — as a tactic of colonial warfare under General Bugeaud. Lucas and Luna trace the events: the siege of the Sidi Brahim cave, the role of the Bureaux Arabes, the cover-up and scandal in Paris, and the legacy of this atrocity in Algerian memory. We also consider the debate among French officers — including Colonel Daumas, who refused to carry out similar orders — and how the enfumades fit into the broader razzia system designed to break rural resistance. The episode draws on eyewitness accounts and recent scholarship to understand a dark chapter in the conquest of Algeria. #Algeria #DahraEnfumades #OuledRiah #Bugeaud #Pélissier #ColonialWarfare #Razzia #Enfumade #SidiBrahim #BureauxArabes #ColonelDaumas #FrenchConquest #19thCentury #Atrocity #NorthAfrica #History #FexingoHistory #AlgerianHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Algeria 1841: The Razzia System and Bugeaud's Scorched Earth

In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine General Bugeaud's systematic use of the razzia—a brutal raid-and-burn tactic—during the French conquest of Algeria in the 1840s. They explore how Bugeaud, drawing on his experience in Spain, transformed the razzia from a localized foraging raid into a deliberate strategy of total war against the Algerian population. The episode covers the scorched-earth campaign that followed the collapse of Abd el-Kader's state, the destruction of crops and villages, the controversial 'enfumades' at Dahra, and the establishment of the Bureaux Arabes as a means of control. Lucas also discusses the perspectives of French officers like Colonel Daumas and the reaction of Algerian leaders such as Cheikh Boumaza. The conversation sheds light on how this policy of collective punishment shaped the brutal nature of colonial warfare and left lasting scars on Algerian society. #Bugeaud #Razzia #ScorchedEarth #AbdElKader #Dahra #Enfumades #BureauxArabes #CheikhBoumaza #FrenchConquest #Algeria #1841 #TotalWar #ColonialWarfare #NorthAfrica #History #FexingoHistory #MilitaryHistory #AlgerianHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Algeria 1845: The Dahra Enfumades and the War on Civilians

In June 1845, French General Pélissier ordered the suffocation of hundreds of Ouled Riah tribesmen in caves near Dahra, on the Algerian coast. This episode examines the 'enfumades' — smoke-outs — that became a symbol of French colonial brutality. Lucas and Luna discuss the strategic context: the razzia tactics of Marshal Bugeaud, the resistance of Cheikh Boumaza, and the moral debates that erupted in Paris when the atrocity became public. They explore how the caves near the Chélif River were used as refuges, how French soldiers lit fires at the entrances, and how the victims — men, women, children — died of asphyxiation. The episode also covers the subsequent cover-up, the French parliamentary inquiry, and the legacy of the enfumades in Algerian collective memory. Drawing on eyewitness accounts and recent scholarship, the conversation asks: was this a calculated military tactic or a war crime? And how did it shape later resistance movements? Specific figures include General Pélissier, Marshal Bugeaud, Colonel de Montagnac, and Emir Abd el-Kader. The episode connects the Dahra enfumades to the earlier enfumades of the Beni Menasser in 1844 and to the broader logic of total conquest. #Algeria #FrenchColonialism #Enfumades #Dahra #OuledRiah #Bugeaud #Pelissier #CheikhBoumaza #AbdElKader #Razzia #WarCrimes #19thCentury #NorthAfrica #Resistance #ColonialViolence #History #FexingoHistory #AlgerianHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Algeria 1971: The Sonatrach Nationalization and Oil Revolution

In 1971, Algeria took control of its oil and gas industry, nationalizing Sonatrach and French interests. This episode explores the economic philosophy of Houari Boumediene, the role of Belaid Abdessalam, and how the nationalization transformed Algeria into a major energy player. It covers the Algiers Charter, the struggle with French companies like Total and Shell, and the lasting impact on OPEC and global energy politics. #Algeria #Sonatrach #Oil #Nationalization #HouariBoumediene #BelaidAbdessalam #OPEC #Decolonization #Energy #AlgiersCharter #1970s #NorthAfrica #History #FexingoHistory #AlgerianHistory #OilPolitics #Postcolonial #ThirdWorldism Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

Algeria 1965: Houari Boumediene's Coup d'État

In June 1965, just three years after Algeria's hard-won independence, Colonel Houari Boumediene staged a bloodless coup that ousted President Ahmed Ben Bella, his former ally. This episode unpacks the political tensions that led to the takeover: the power struggle between Ben Bella's populist style and Boumediene's military pragmatism, the role of the ALN (National Liberation Army), the Oujda clan, and the entrenched rivalry with the wilaya commanders. We trace Boumediene's rise from a rural schoolteacher in the 1940s to his command during the War of Independence, his alliance with Ben Bella during the 1958 Provisional Government crisis, and his growing disillusionment as Ben Bella concentrated power and sidelined the army. We discuss the actual day of the coup—June 19, 1965—when tanks rolled into Algiers and the country was put under a three-day curfew. The episode also explores Boumediene's subsequent rule, his socialist but nationalist vision, the establishment of the Council of the Revolution, and the controversial decision to keep Ben Bella under house arrest for the next fifteen years. A crucial turning point that set Algeria's post-colonial trajectory toward authoritarian one-party rule. #Algeria #HouariBoumediene #AhmedBenBella #1965Coup #AlgerianHistory #PostIndependence #ALN #OujdaClan #NorthAfrica #ColdWar #ArabSocialism #CouncilOfTheRevolution #Wilaya #Algiers #June1965 #FexingoHistory #History #Decolonization Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]