Children and Youth Involvement in the Algerian War of Liberation: Questions of Perspective

In October 2024, the Algerian newspaper La Nouvelle République published one article praising the participation of children in the Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962) [1]. The article followed a meeting organised in Algiers to celebrate the 62nd anniversary of independence that aimed to shed light on these ‘forgotten heroes’ who sacrificed their childhood to liberate their country.

After decades of campaigns and international mobilisation against the recruitment of young people into armed conflicts and its designation as a war crime, this heroic interpretation of children’s participation in the Algerian conflict is striking, to say the least. Even more striking are the comments attributed to the national delegate for child protection, who reportedly praised ‘the positions taken by children during the war of liberation, particularly their participation in the armed struggle alongside the mujahideen, whether that be passing on messages, tracking the movements of French occupation forces, or carrying weapons’. These activities by under eighteen year olds all fall under the definition of ‘a child associated with an armed force or armed group’, as established by the Paris Principles in 2007 to prevent such practices [2].

While these statements are probably intended to acknowledge the debt that Algerian society owes to the young people of the time, they also reveal a genuine ambiguity in how children’s involvement in armed conflicts is perceived. Depending on the ‘justness’ of the cause to which these young combatants subscribe, their involvement may be praised or criticised, locally and internationally. This highlights the complexities of what is today understood as ‘child soldiering’. Is children’s participation in anti-colonial liberation struggles more acceptable, understandable, or laudable, than their participation in contemporary civil was? Were these Algerian children exercising their agency and right to defend their communities, rather than being coerced to fight by adults? Such public commemoration highlights the fragility of the consensus that condemns the use of young people as combatants, and how their participation in conflict is understood.

Children and young people played significant roles in many decolonisation conflicts (Hynd, 2021; Nguyen, 2025). The Algerian case was no exception (Carlier, 2003; Taraud, 2008). French authorities were aware of this and sought to implement policies aimed specifically at children and youths (Hadj-Amhed, 2022; Peterson, 2024). Adolescents, especially 14–19-year-olds, were particularly targeted to prevent them from joining the FLN (Capdevila, 2017; Denéchère, 2017).

However, their contribution to the armed struggle remains poorly documented. Beyond the figure of ‘little Omar’ (Omar Yacef), immortalised in the film The Battle of Algiers [3], and a few testimonies [4], little is known about the dynamics that led to the involvement of these young people, their experiences, and their life paths. For example, who remembers that the former Algerian president Liamine Zeroual joined the National Liberation Army in 1958 at the age of 16 (Areski, 2022)?

Children and youths’ involvement was not confined to anti-colonial forces. The well known case of Saïd Ferdi who, at 14 years old, started to work for the French army after having been arrested and tortured by French soldiers, was not isolated (Ferdi, 1981). Dozens of people under the age of 18 can also be found in the Mémoire des Hommes database, which lists those who ‘died for France’ during the conflict [5]. The Organisation de l’Armée secrète (OAS) also benefited from the commitment of young Pieds-Noirs. Jean-Pax Méfret explains that he became involved at the age of 16 during the Semaine des barricades in January 1960, going on to serve as an OAS liaison officer (Méfret, 2007). Regardless of whether we agree with the Algerian regime’s posthumous glorification of the children who fought for the liberation of Algeria, acknowledging their status as active participants in the war highlights the roles played by children and youth in anti-colonial and liberation struggles, just as in contemporary conflicts. It also shows how attitudes towards childrens’ participation in conflict are shaped by our undestandings of war as well as childhood itself.

Notes and references

[1] https://www.lnr-dz.com/2024/07/04/les-enfants-moudjahidine-comme-modele/

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