Hassiba Ben Bouali was born in
El-Asnam (Today, Chlef), Algeria, into an aristocratic family. Her parents moved to
Algiers in 1947, where she studied at the Lycée Delacroix (high-school). She joined the
Scout Movement, and her travels made her aware of the conditions of the Algerian people under the colonial government. This motivated her to join the
Union générale des étudiants musulmans algériens (General Union of Algerian Muslim Students) in 1954, at the age of 16. She participated in the
nationalist struggle until her death. In the 1957
Battle of Algiers, she and three companions including
Ali Ammar (aka
Ali La Pointe) were killed when French forces bombed their hideout in the
Casbah. Benbouali was depicted in the movie
The Battle of Algiers by actress Fusia El Kader. One of the largest avenues in Algiers and the university of
Chlef were named after her. ==References==