Massacre of Laghouat 1852

Above Image (French Forces occupying Laghouat)

The first use of chemical weapons against civilians in the world was in Algeria at the hands of the French colonial invading forces from November 22 to 2 December 1852.

The estimated French colonial forces that was heading to Laghouat was around 65,000 soldiers commanded by General Dubarrail, since the first moments of the attack the French invaders tried to terrorize the population by implementing scorched earth policy. The estimated death toll of the population of the city are 3,800 killed of the total population of 4,800 people in the year of 1852, most people lived from agriculture and trade with other cities from north and south of Algeria the city was destroyed when French invaders occupied it they also killed all Islamic scholars, merchants and other people they were either buried alive or burned alive and the rest of the population who survived were managed to escape to Al-Amour Mountains.

Topographic problems of the French Forces and the importance location of Laghouat

The city of Laghouat was known since it was built by the Arabs in 850, it was built as a centre of trading and a resting place for traveling convoys. The French colonists seen this city as a strategic location that allows them to observe and monitor the population movements in the area it is the nearest city to Algiers from the desert also it is a place where the French armies gets supplied from the north and south of Algeria. The Advantage of the location of the city it’s the nearest to Algiers, Ouargla and valley of Mzab.

This is why the French Army wanted to provide maps for the French colonist authority in Algeria since June 1844, General Rivet who was the commander in chief in Algeria has ordered General Marey Monge to do some Topographic studying on the city of Laghouat and the area around it.

The preparation for the occupation of the city of Laghouat

Failed attempts by General Ladmirau and Marey Monge to occupy the city of Laghouat and forcing it people to surrender but it did not work so the French tried everything they could to occupy it even through negotiations with city leader Sayed Ahmed Al-Tijani and the former city leader Ahmed Ben Salem who was a province leader of Sahara under the rule of Emir Abdelkader from 1848-1849. But the Islamic scholars and the people of the city did not know the mean of weakness and surrender, so the French decided to occupy the city they sent an army led by General Ladmirau who stationed 20Km from the north of Laghouat in 1850.

The French also tried to use the other Sheiks and Islamic scholars who were foes with main Islamic scholars in the city but both of them agreed the city must not fall to the hands of the French, the French generals thought that they would takeover the city easily without noticing the people are ready to fight and die for their city of Laghouat.

General Rivet who was stationed outside the city of Laghouat was waiting more reinforcements from Oran who were led by General Pelissier so they meet merge forces with General Rivet which added the number of soldiers to 65,000 soldiers in 20 November 1852.

The French did not wait so long, in 21 November 1852 the French launched their attack on the city of Laghouat the army of 20,000 men was led by General Pelissier to launch their first attack but the people of Laghouat resisted bravely against an out numbered French forces which made the French occupy the city until 6 December 1852 when shelled the city with chemical weapons which allowed the French to occupy it easily in 6 December 1852.

The resistance fighters of Laghouat did their best in defending the city by killing hundreds of French soldiers but they were outnumbered but the civilian population of the city suffered the most by chemical weapons used by the French army.