Ali Ammar
Encyclopedia
Ali Ammar(14 May 1930 – 8 October 1957), also known as Ali La Pointe, was a guerrilla
leader who fought for Algeria
n independence against the French
. In the film, The Battle of Algiers
, he was portrayed by Brahim Haggiag.
Ammar lived a life of petty crime and was serving a two-year prison sentence when war broke out in Algeria in 1954. Recruited in the notorious Barberousse prison by FLN
militants, he became one of the FLN's most trusted and loyal lieutenants in Algiers. On December 28, 1956, he assassinated the Mayor of Algiers, Amedee Froger.
Late in 1957 the FLN leadership had been systematically isolated and eliminated by French paratroopers led by Colonel Yves Godard
using interrogation with torture. Saadi Yacef ordered the leadership to hide in separate addresses within the Casbah; Yacef was captured on September 24. Ali la Pointe and three companions, Hassiba Ben Bouali, 'Hamid' Bouhamidi and 'le petit Omar', held out in hiding until 8 October. Tracked down by paras acting on a tip-off from an informer, Ali La Pointe was given the chance to surrender but refused, whereupon he, his companions, and the house in which he was hiding were bombed by French paratroopers. In all, 20 Algerians were killed in the blast.
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
leader who fought for 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...
n independence against 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...
. In the film, The Battle of Algiers
The Battle of Algiers (film)
The Battle of Algiers is a 1966 war film based on occurrences during the Algerian War against French colonial occupation in North Africa, the most prominent being the titular Battle of Algiers. It was directed by Gillo Pontecorvo...
, he was portrayed by Brahim Haggiag.
Ammar lived a life of petty crime and was serving a two-year prison sentence when war broke out in Algeria in 1954. Recruited in the notorious Barberousse prison by FLN
National Liberation Front (Algeria)
The National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Algeria. It was set up on November 1, 1954 as a merger of other smaller groups, to obtain independence for Algeria from France.- Anticolonial struggle :...
militants, he became one of the FLN's most trusted and loyal lieutenants in Algiers. On December 28, 1956, he assassinated the Mayor of Algiers, Amedee Froger.
Late in 1957 the FLN leadership had been systematically isolated and eliminated by French paratroopers led by Colonel Yves Godard
Yves Godard (French officer)
Yves Godard was a French Army officer who fought in World War II, First Indochina War and Algerian War. A graduate of Saint-Cyr and Chasseur Alpin, he served as a ski instructor in Poland during 1939, but after World War II begun he returned to France...
using interrogation with torture. Saadi Yacef ordered the leadership to hide in separate addresses within the Casbah; Yacef was captured on September 24. Ali la Pointe and three companions, Hassiba Ben Bouali, 'Hamid' Bouhamidi and 'le petit Omar', held out in hiding until 8 October. Tracked down by paras acting on a tip-off from an informer, Ali La Pointe was given the chance to surrender but refused, whereupon he, his companions, and the house in which he was hiding were bombed by French paratroopers. In all, 20 Algerians were killed in the blast.