Si M'hamed Oulhadj

Born Akli Mokrani in the Djurdjura mountains, Si M'hamed Oulhadj joined the Algerian national movement in the 1940s, selling his modest business to fund weapons purchases for the revolution. In 1959, following the death of Colonel Amirouche, he assumed supreme command of Wilaya III.

He navigated the most destructive French offensive of the war (Operation Jumelles) with extraordinary guerrilla discipline. In October 1963, when border clashes erupted with Morocco during the Sand War, Oulhadj put national sovereignty above all regional disputes, leading his veterans to defend the southwest frontier.