Louisa Ighilahriz

Louisa Ighilahriz, known as Louisette born August 22, 1936 in Oujda (Morocco), was an Algerian nationalist activist during the Algerian War. Coming from a family from Kabylie, engaged in the nationalist fight, Louisette moved with her family to Algiers in 1948. As a student, she joined the ranks of the FLN in the Autonomous Zone of Algiers at the age of 20 at the eve of the battle of Algiers at the end of 1956 under the name of Lila. She participates in the strike of high school students, then flees into the maquis when she is sought after. She is part of the French network of support for the FLN of "suitcase carriers" during the Battle of Algiers. Seriously injured alongside her network leader, Saïd Bakel during an ambush on September 28, 1957 in Chebli, in wilaya IV, she was urgently repatriated to the 10th DP (parachute division) where she declared that she had suffered many tortures that she attributes in particular to Captain Graziani1,2. Suffering, she is masked after the intervention of a French army doctor, Commander Richaud, in an Algerian prison3,4. Later, she will be sent to several French prisons of Baumettes, La Roquette, Amiens, Fresnes, Bordeaux, Pau, Toulouse. Placed under house arrest in Corsica, she fled from Bastia on February 16, 1962, helped by many French people including her lawyer Marcel Manville and French communist activists who hosted her in Nice until the independence of Algeria5. She returns to Algeria where she continues to lead various political battles. Louisette Ighilahriz, a psychologist by training and profession, has been designated on several occasions by the authorities of her country for her participation in the independence of Algeria.