Si Slimane Ben Ali

Si Slimane Ben Ali was a revered leader of the Ouled Sidi Cheikh confederation in the high steppes around Géryville (modern El Bayadh). In April 1864, in response to the humiliating abuses of the colonial 'Bureaux Arabes', Si Slimane sparked a massive insurrection across western and central Algeria.

On April 8, 1864, his cavalry ambushed and annihilated a colonial column under Colonel Beauprêtre at Aouinet Boubekeur. The rebellion swept through Tiaret, Mascara, and the borders of the Sahara, persisting as a major threat to French colonial expansion for nearly two decades.