Quote · Empire: World History
375. Algerian Revolution: The French Invasion (Ep 1)
Where this was said
The Cave Massacre of 1845
At 34:53 · chapter starts 33:25
Anita Anand delivers the most disturbing episode of the series so far with a warning before she begins. In June 1845, a French colonel chased around 1,000 Algerians — men, women, children, animals — into a cave system in the Daraa Mountains. When they refused his demand to surrender, he ordered fires lit at the cave entrances and kept burning for 24 hours. In a closed cave system, the fires consumed oxygen and filled the chambers with smoke: between 500 and 1,500 people suffocated or burned to death. The news triggered genuine outrage in France, with deputies condemning it in the Assembly and newspapers denouncing barbarism. But as William Dalrymple pointedly notes, the outrage did not prevent the colonel responsible from receiving a promotion. The massacre became a galvanising moment for Algerian resistance — a Jallianwala Bagh effect.
In June 1845, French soldiers lit fires at the mouths of caves sheltering around 1,000 Algerians, killing between 500 and 1,500 men, women, and children by asphyxiation.
In June 1845, French soldiers chased around 1,000 Algerian civilians — women, children, animals — into a cave system in the Daraa Mountains, then lit fires at the entrances for 24 hours. Between 500 and 1,500 people suffocated or burned. France expressed outrage, then promoted the colonel who ordered it.
In May 1843, Abd el-Kader's own people betrayed the location of the Zmala. The French attacked while he was away on a raid, killing at least a tenth of the 60,000 inhabitants — mostly women, children, and the elderly. Abd el-Kader himself later told his French captors: it was the beginning of the end.
