This website is dedicated to my grandfather, father, friend, idol, and leader Hassen Abdelaziz (AKA El Ouardani). He was the Sahel leader of Tunisia armed resistance against the French occupation, the group was known as the Fellagha of the Sahel.
Hassen El Ouardani was born around 1908 in the town of EL Ouardanine (El Wardanine) in the center of the Sahel region (coastal Center region of Tunisia). Like most people in the region, he grew up in a family of farmers. He worked the land with his father from 1928 until 1934, mostly renting and farming lands in the region of Kairouan (Center of Tunisia). Hassen married his orphan cousin Aicha and they got three daughters Fatma, Kadhija and Emna.
While farming in Kairouan someone stole his horse and he felt offended by it and decided to get it back at any cost. He followed the tracks from town to town asking people and making friends along the way and did not give up until he found it and returned home riding it. After this experience, he became known as someone who can find and get back stolen animals, and that was how he started his first business. Mr. Hassen started getting back people’s stolen animals and goods for a fee. In order to grow his business, he started stealing and collecting the ransom while giving back the stolen animals. With his band, they became notorious thieves. Being from the most feared town in Tunisia made the job easier, as nobody would try to follow or catch them when they reach the land of El Ouardanine. Even as a thief, he was a man of honor, who stood by the weak and the vulnerable. So, he became well-respected by all over the country (these qualities helped him during that time to lead the Fellaga)
One single incident changed Hassen’s life upside down from a thief to a warrior. The incident started when his Friends in the town of Kalaa Kbira asking him to return the cows of a widow, that someone else stole. he promised to get them back at whatever cost. Hassen started collecting and buying information on the heist and find out that a well-known Tunisian traitor working with the French military was behind it. The traitor was a native of the same town of Kalaa Kbira well known and protected by the French government. Hassen did not give up even though he knew the mission was almost impossible. For months, hundreds of kilometers and a cost that required him to sell portion of his father’s land, he was moving from town to town collecting information on the cows and their whereabouts until he got to them before crossing the Algerian boarders. Armed with a pistol, he forced the thieves to give up the animals. As Hassen reached the town of Kalla Kbira and so, without causing any incident, he asked some of his friends to return the animals to the widow owner. When the latter asked why he did not do it himself his answer was to avoid killing or being killed by the traitor and his group.
The motto of the town of El Ouardanine “Foreigners are always welcomed, safe and protected”. In the early thirties, a young man short, white and with blue eyes came alone to the town and asked to talk to the people, his name was Habib Bourguiba. The people appreciated his courage and allowed him to give a speech. The next day in his speech Mr. Bourguiba asked the support of the town’s outlaws (he later gave them the name “Waled El LIL” or “Sons Of The Nights”). After the speech he was introduced to their leader Hassen Abdelaziz and since that day he got the support and protection of one of the most powerful man in the country. Bourguiba, later, went to Ksar Hellal’s meeting with strong ideas but mostly backed by strong and feared allies.
In 1946, El Ouardani went to Algeria in order to synchronize a resistance with Ahmed Ben Bella and other Algerian leaders. After visiting Algeria, he decided with Bourguiba that Tunisia should start the fight alone. He started forming his team, most of them were from his old guard the “Sons Of The Night”. Two of them were being charged for a felony and Hassen asked members of the Destourian party to find a way to get them out. Before going in front of the judge Mohamed Farhat, a junior prosecutor at that time, changed their crime on file for a misdemeanor drunk in public and they were set free.
In the first meeting of the Fellagha leaders with Bourguiba, El Ouardani proposed and got unanimous acceptance that the Fellagha should be composed of independent groups controlled by different leaders based on region. This strategy had two major benefits it would give the French occupation army the impression that the uprising is all over the country at the same time it would be impossible for the French to control the entire leadership by either corruption or imprisonment.
After cancellation of the 18th of January 1952 Neo-Destourian meeting, and the detention of Habib Bouguiba and hundreds of his followers and members of his party the 1st confrontation with the French army started in Sousse four days later on the 22nd . During the riots at least 17 Tunisians were killed as well as the French commander of the Sahel region Colonel Norbert Durant. Four of the Martyrs were from EL Ouardanine. El Ouardani asked that they had to be buried at home and his team managed to return the bodies that night to be buried the next day per Muslim rules. El Ouardani was considered by the French authorities as the master mind behind the assassination of Colonel Durand and he became wanted with one million francs on head dead or alive.
On December 5th 1952 the leader Farhat Hached was assassinated by the the French red brigade (Brigade Rouge) with the help of Tunisian traitors. El Ourdani ordered his team and all Fallaghas to start an operation called clean up house. During the operation members of Fellagha killed tens of traitors in different cities across the entire country, including the uncle of former president of Tunisia Ben Ali. Hassen Abdelaziz himself went back to Kalaa Kbira and killed the traitor responsible for the cows heist years ago.
El Ouardani and his men were always on the move. They wore traditional clothes so that they could easily blend with the population. All their actions were outside El Ouardanine as the town motto was always respected. El Ouardani was never arrested nor any member of his direct team for three major reasons:
El Ouardani had success as a Fellagha not only because of his feared team but also his relationship inside and outside the French government. His most important weapons supplier was a Tunisian officer in the French army. The supplier provided not only weapons but also valuable intelligence on the French army moves. El Ouardani kept his supplier name a secret until Tunisia independence in 1956. El Ouardani officer was later revealed General Mohamed El Kefi who became one of the most respected leaders in the Tunisian military. General Kefi was also known for being the father of Naima first spouse of the ex President Ben Ali.
El Ouardani was a simple man with a lot of charisma, respected by not only his friends but also his enemies. He always considered what he did for Tunisia was an obligation, a duty not just a favor that he had to be rewarded for. As a matter of fact, he got the best reward of all which was the respect of the Tunisian people.
After the independence and until he passed away, every single day people came to visit him from all over the country and abroad (especially Algeria and Libya). Some people came just to see him, exchange greetings or convey someone else regards. Others came to see El Ouardani to solve problems (all kind: trouble with the law, jobs, money, conflicts…). Two of the most unbelievable characteristics of my grandfather were:
He would know everyone he came to visit, if he did not know the person he would know one of his relatives. He was like Wikipedia of the Tunisian population.
He used to offer his house as a place to sleep and eat. [As a little boy] I still remember once seeing over forty people that I had not known before sleeping in our house. at that time, I never understood why but as years went by I became aware of the kindness and hospitability of my family.
My Grandfather always carried with him tens of passports, ID cards, letters and sometimes even guns (mainly returned by fellow Fallegha). He was the voice of the needy and never turned anyone he could help down and never took a dime for any problem he solved or favor provided.
On the other hand, he gained a lot of respect outside Tunisia, mostly from the Algerians since he helped them smuggling weapons during their revolution and protected the Algerian Fellaghas when they were crossing the border. That was how he became a very good friend with the first Algerian president, Ahmed Ben Bella.
The relation between El Ouardani and Bourguiba we characterized as “Fraternal enemies”. Bourguiba trusted El Ouardani more than anybody in his life. On the other hand, El Ouardani was cautious in his relation with Bourguiba. El Ouardani had full access to Bourguiba to the point in time of crises he had the ability to enter the president bedroom and wake him up. Hassen always knew and respected the love Bourguiba had for his country but he also understood that he was a politician and as a politician he might put his love aside to reach his goals. Bourguiba knew El Ouardani was a Fallegha and as militant he only cared about Tunisia and its flag. El Ouardani always knew even though he saved Bourgiba’s life more than once he still could hurt him if he stood in the way of his politics. During his life my grandfather had multiple incidents with the president;
Later, Bourguiba avoided El Ouardani rage by eliminating the failing cooperative politics which hurt the Tunisian economy badly. Ironically the cooperative politics was stopped in the town of Ouardanine with a conflict between the Tunisian armed forces and civilians that few years back gave up their blood for the independence and for Bourguiba to become and stay as president. The conflict resulted in hundreds of arrests (men and women) but above all the depth of one man who doesn’t own a square foot of land. The event of 1969, showed the remarkable free and fearless spirit of the people of EL Ouardanine. The nickname “El Ouardani” has not characterized Hassen as a person but also the spirit of the town of El Ouardanine that he represented.