Cheikh Mokrani
Encyclopedia
Reasons for Revolt
The revolt was triggered by extension of civil colonization authority to previously self-governing tribal BerberBerber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
confederation and the abrogation of commitments made by the military government, but it clearly had its basis in more long-standing grievances. Since the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
(1854–56), the demand for grain had pushed up the price of Algerian wheat to European levels. Storage silos were emptied when the world market's impact was felt in Algeria, and Muslim farmers sold their grain reserves — including seed grain — to French speculators. When serious drought struck Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
and grain crops failed in 1866 and for several years following, Muslim areas faced starvation, and with famine also came pestilence
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases, also known as communicable diseases, contagious diseases or transmissible diseases comprise clinically evident illness resulting from the infection, presence and growth of pathogenic biological agents in an individual host organism...
. It was estimated that 20% of the Muslim population of Constantine
Constantine, Algeria
Constantine is the capital of Constantine Province in north-eastern Algeria. It was the capital of the same-named French département until 1962. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of Rhumel river...
died over a three-year period. In 1871 the civil authorities repudiated guarantees made to tribal chieftains by the previous military government for loans to replenish their seed supply. This act alienated even pro-French Muslim leaders, while it undercut their ability to control their people. It was against this background of misery and hopelessness that the stricken Kabyles rose in revolt.
Revolt of Cheikh Mokrani
Mohand at-AMokrane was the son of Ahmed AMokrane one of the governors (Bachagha) of the area of MedjanaMedjana
Medjana is a town and commune in Bordj Bou Arréridj Province, Algeria. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 16,112.-References:...
located in the highlands of Kabylie
Kabylie
Kabylie or Kabylia , is a region in the north of Algeria.It is part of the Tell Atlas and is located at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Kabylia covers several provinces of Algeria: the whole of Tizi Ouzou and Bejaia , most of Bouira and parts of the wilayas of Bordj Bou Arreridj, Jijel,...
, who was also the cheikh of Rahmania
Rahmania
Rahmania is a suburb of the city of Algiers in northern Algeria....
order. After the death of Ahmed -AMokrane, the French authorities appointed Mohand in his place. However following dissension with the French administration, he resigned from his position in March 1871. This conflict happened as a result of the colonial authorities disregarding at-aMokrane, creating a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
-populated commune of Bordj Bou Arréridj and appointing a French officer as its head. The great many discontented flocked to the banners of the Cheikh aggrieved by the ravages of famine, increasing racial oppression by the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Christianization policy pursued by the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
church.
In March 1871 Mohamed El-Mokrani revolted against French by carrying out his army until Bordj- Bou -Arréridj with the assistance of his brother oumezrag and his cousin El Hadj Bouzid, and Sheikh mohand ameziane AHaddad of saddouk oufella great schollar theoligien of the zaouia tarahmanit which joined this uprising with his tribe. Using his position and influence on Rahmania brotherhood sheikh mohand-aMokrane was able to overcome the dissension in his camp and retake Bordj-Bou-Arreridj.
The members of the brotherhood Rahamania, disciples of the Sheik Ahaddad(El Haddad) played an eminent part in success of the insurrection of El Mokrani(amokrane), in particular after Sheikh Ahaddad(El Haddad) had proclaimed the jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
against the French on April 8, 1871. The insurrection acquired a total character through the increase in the number of combatants who rejoined it and his extension to the west, north and the East where considerable stations of the colonial army were encircled in several areas.
After having carried several battles Mohand Amokrane(Mohamed El-Mokrani) was martyred on May 5, 1871 at Taouraga. His tomb is located in kollaa n'at-Abbas (Bgayet)(Béjaïa
Béjaïa
Béjaïa, Vgaiet or Bejaya is a Mediterranean port city on the Gulf of Béjaïa in Algeria; it is the capital of Béjaïa Province, Kabylia. Under French rule, it was formerly known under various European names, such as Budschaja in German, Bugia in Italian, and Bougie...
). Under the command of his brother Oumzrag (Boumezreg), the uprising continued until January 20, 1872, date of his arrest and deportation to New Kaledonia a island in the pacific.
Consequences of the Revolt
After the arrest of Sheik-el-Haddad, the jihad continued under Bouamama. There were also other small insurrectionary movements at Blessed-Menaceur, which forces besieged Cherchel, Zurich, Vesoul-Benian and Hammam-Rirha; this movement was also crushed. From July to September 1872, French forces had still to completely subdued KabylieKabylie
Kabylie or Kabylia , is a region in the north of Algeria.It is part of the Tell Atlas and is located at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Kabylia covers several provinces of Algeria: the whole of Tizi Ouzou and Bejaia , most of Bouira and parts of the wilayas of Bordj Bou Arreridj, Jijel,...
. Bou-Mezrag took refuge at Maadid, and later managed to escape the French finding allies among the Tuareg tribes of the South. The general Delacroix, with a small expeditionary force, continued to pursue the rebels until beyond Ouargla. BouMezrag Mokrani, which had remained six days without drinking nor to eat, was finally captured removed.
The insurrection, which had begun on March 16, 1871 in Medjana was finished on January 20, 1872 by the arrest of Bou-Mezrag. Although a third only of Algeria had taken part in the movement, there had been about 200.000 combatants under the rebel flag.
Exile of the brother of El-Mokrani and the whole family to the New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
occurred shortly afterwards. Together with them 212 persons, called Kabyles du Pacifique
Kabyles du Pacifique
The Algerians of the Pacific were a group of men and women deported by French authorities to labor camps on the island of New Caledonia, after taking part in the 1870-1871 mainly Kabyle uprising against colonial rule in Algeria....
, who participated in the revolt were tried and deported by French authorities to labor camps on the island of New Caledonia. Mokrani's descendants still live on the island.