Omar Yacef

Acting · Born January 7, 1944 · Algiers, Algeria

Little Omar, whose real name was Omar Yacef, was born in January 1944 in the Casbah of Algiers and died there on October 8, 1957. He is an emblematic figure of Algerian children involved in the War of Independence. Born in 1944 in the Casbah of Algiers to the Yacef family, originally from Azeffoun in coastal Kabylia, he was the nephew of Yacef Saâdi, head of the Autonomous Zone of Algiers (ZAA), who appointed him as a liaison between the fighters and the FLN leaders in the Casbah during the Battle of Algiers. Little Omar grew up in Yacef Saâdi's large family home, located at 5 Rue des Abderrames in the Casbah of Algiers. He was deeply influenced at the time by the leading figures of the Revolution who frequented his uncle's house, notably Abane Ramdane, Larbi Ben M'hidi, Krim Belkacem, Colonel Ouamrane, Rabah Bitat, and Ali la Pointe. From a young age, he enjoyed handling the fighters' weapons. A scout and messenger between FLN militants and leaders, he managed to slip through all the police checkpoints and outwit the French paratroopers during the height of the Battle of Algiers. He was killed on October 8, 1957, at the age of 13 in the Casbah by paratrooper commandos of the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (1er REP) who blew up the house at 5 Rue des Abdérrames where his family—Hassiba Ben Bouali, Ali la Pointe, and Mahmoud (Hamid Bouhamidi)—were hiding. He is buried in the El Kettar cemetery.