Taghit: 1st spark of revolution against French colonialism in Algeria

By Esat Firat

ORAN, Algeria (AA) - The Taghit region, located in the Aures mountains in the east of Algeria, is known as the place where the fuse of the revolution was ignited 68 years ago against French colonialism.

The expression "Taghit: the starting point of the November 1st Revolution" along with the names of people who lost their lives are written on the monument found in Taghit's Batna city.

In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Hamal Mesrahi, a lecturer at Batna University, stressed that the Taghit region was the place where the first operation was carried out against the French occupying army.

Meanwhile, emphasizing the great symbolic importance of the region, Hamide Susan from the Batna Governorate, said: "Taghit has a great historical importance for Algerians as it symbolizes the struggle and resistance against oppression and exploitation."

Recalling that hundreds of thousands of Algerians were killed to save their homeland from French colonialism, Susan added: "The historical Taghit region tells the story of the Algerian people's rejection of colonialism and their unification against the enemy."

France occupied Algeria in 1830, which had been under the rule of the Ottoman Empire for centuries.

Paris reinforced its permanence by sending nearly 1 million settlers here.

Algeria, which represents the most recent and bloodiest example of France's colonial history on the African continent, started its war of independence on Nov. 1, 1954, which cost almost 1.5 million lives.

Some 132 years of occupation and colonial rule in the country ended on July 5, 1962.

While Algeria, with its eight-year-long struggle for independence, was acknowledged as one of the countries that paid the heaviest price for this cause, the great pain experienced was written in history as a "black mark" left by France when it withdrew from Africa.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan in Istanbul