Raymonde Peschard (15 September 1927 – 26 November 1957) was an Algerian social worker and freedom fighter during the

Algerian War of Independence The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...

. She was first a member of the

Algerian Communist Party The Algerian Communist Party (french: Parti Communiste Algérien; ar, الحزب الشيوعي الجزائري) was a communist party in Algeria. The PCA emerged in 1920 as an extension of the French Communist Party (PCF) and eventually beca ...

but joined the National Liberation Army after she was incorrectly accused of planning the Milk Bar Café bombing with

Zohra Drif Zohra Drif Bitat ( ar, زهرة ظريف بيطاط, Zuhra Ḍrīf Bīṭāṭ, born 28 December 1934) is a retired Algerian lawyer, moudjahid (a militant of the Algerian War of Independence), and the vice-president of the Council of the Nation ...

. While a member of the ALN, she adopted the codename "الطاووس," meaning peacock in Arabic.

Biography

Peschard was born on 15 September 1927 in

Bologhine Bologhine is a suburb of the city of Algiers in northern Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , co ...

French Algeria French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...

. Her father worked as a station master. During the 1950s, Peschard joined the

; when the French government cracked down on communist activity in Algeria, she was exiled from

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I *Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...

. In 1956, Peschard was incorrectly accused of being an accomplice to the Milk Bar Café bombing and was forced to flee from the colonial authorities. As such, Peschard joined the Front de Libération Nationale, going on to participate in several missions the group launched against the colonial government. Peschard continued her activities, joining the more militant National Liberation Army in 1957. While operating with the ALN, she operated under the code-name "الطاووس"—"Peacock" in Arabic—serving as a nurse for the rebels. On 26 November 1957, Peschard and 10 other rebels were killed by the French army near the town of

Medjana Medjana is a town and commune (municipality) in Bordj Bou Arréridj Province, Algeria. It is the (approximative) location the Ancient city and bishopric Vardimissa, which remains a Latin Catholic titular see. According to the 1998 census it has ...

. Following the end of the Algerian War for Independence, Peschard was declared a martyr of the conflict. According to Jean-Luc Einaudi, she was the only Algerian of European descent to be named as a martyr of the conflict.Jean-Luc Einaudi, Paris, Editions L'Harmattan , coll. "Mediterranean History and Perspectives," 1986 () p. 224-225

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peschard, Raymonde 1927 births 1957 deaths Algerian guerrillas Algerian guerrillas killed in action Algerian rebels Algerian revolutionaries People of the Algerian War People from Bologhine Women in warfare post-1945