The Genocide of Laghouat

Abstract

Primary military correspondence from the mid-nineteenth century offers valuable insight into the operational dynamics and strategic perceptions that shaped colonial campaigns in North Africa. In this context, the present document attributed to General Yusuf and addressed to General Pélissier relates to the preparatory phase of the French military campaign against Laghouat. The letter details early engagements with Algerian resistance forces, providing accounts of battlefield conditions, casualty figures, and tactical evaluations. As such, it constitutes a significant archival source for understanding colonial military planning and resistance dynamics in southern Algeria during the 1850s.