Massacre of El Ouffia
The Massacre of El Ouffia on 6 April 1832, during the French conquest of Algeria, was a war crime committed by the troupes coloniales under Colonel Maximilien Joseph Schauenburg against the tribe of El Ouffia near El Harrach. Historical Context. The arrival of the Duc de Rovigo in Algiers in December 1831, in order to establish the French colonial power in Mitidja, coincided with the reconfiguration of the regiments of troupes coloniales involved in the offensive against the Algerian resistance fighters scattered all around the Casbah of Algiers. The "Chasseurs d'Afrique" were created by virtue of  an ordinance of 17 November 1831 to establish the presence of cavalry capable of rapid incursions into the heart of rebel areas in French North Africa. Formed of four squadrons, this regiment of horsemen immediately began targeting the insurrectionary tribes around Algiers. The members of "le 1er régiment de chasseurs d'Afrique" proved to be disciplined and reliable, and were placed under the command of Colonel Maximilien Joseph Schauenburg in order to guarantee the pacification of the suburbs of Algiers. Raid on El Ouffia. Colonel Schauenburg's cavalry regiment began its raids against the tribes around Algiers (Fahs) in a bloodthirsty  and macabre way in the sad attack of the tribe of "El Ouffia" near the course of Oued El Harrach, which had taken place on 6 April 1832, just five months after the formation of this new regiment. While this regiment was being equipped with arms and supplies, Colonel Schauenbourg received from Governor Savary the sudden order to leave the Algiers encampment at night towards the bank of Oued El Harrach in a first mission against the Algerians. The horsemen then began a nocturnal and silent march, but which was an ordinary prelude to the raid and carnage which was  being prepared against the civilians of the tribe of El Ouffia. This column of horsemen was led by General Faudoas, who was an officer of the First French Empire like his colleague Colonel Schauenbourg, and this punitive expedition was intended to punish the tribe of El Ouffia and other neighboring allied tribes who were considered dangerous against the French colonial presence in Algiers. Massacre. General Marquis de Faudoas arrived with Colonel Schauenburg and their horsemen on the night of 6 April 1832 at the village of El Ouffia while the members of the tribe were asleep in their tents. By  virtue of the strict instructions of the general-in-chief, the Duc de Rovigo, this expeditionary body of troops from Algiers had the task of slaughtering all the unfortunate civilians of El Ouffia without sparing a single one of them, including women, children and the elderly. The sleeping Algerians were surprised at dawn on 7 April 1837, and all were slain without a single one of them even attempting to defend themselves. None managed to escape the massacre, with the horsemen of General Faudoas scrupulously following their orders to make no distinction regarding the age or sex of their Algerian  victims. On the return of this shameful and criminal expedition which carried out the massacre of unarmed and sleeping civilians, the riders of Schauenburg's regiment carried at the entrance to the city of Algiers the heads of their victims at the ends of their spears.