turned to the corsair activity swearing allegiance to the Sultan of Algiers and became an officer under Zymen Danseker. Algeria under French colonization Emir Abdelkader, 19th-century leader of the resistance against French colonisation Mohamed ben Zamoum, 19th-century leader of the resistance against French colonisation Hadj Ahmed Bey, last Bey of Constantine; fought the French Army during two sieges in 1836 and 1837 Cheikh Boumerdassi, 19th-century leader of the resistance against French colonisation Omar ben Zamoum, 19th-century leader of the resistance against French colonisation Messali Hadj, founder of the first North African and then Algerian Nationalist Parties Lalla Fatma N'Soumer, 19th-century female leader of the Kabyle resistance against the French Mohamed Seghir Boushaki, 20th-century leader of the Kabyle political resistance against the French Mohamed Deriche, 20th-century leader of the Kabyle political resistance against the French Messali Hadj, nationalist politician Revolutionary War of Independence Ferhat Abbas, president of the provisional government of Algeria before independence, 1958–1961 Mohamed Aïchaoui, journalist and independence war hero Colonel Amirouche, independence war hero Ali La Pointe, also known as Ali Ammar; independence war hero Krim Belkacem, independence war hero; vice president of the provisional government of Algeria Mostefa Benboulaid, Commander of Zone 1 during the independence war Hassiba Benbouali, female hero of the independence war Djamila Bouhired, female hero of the revolution Ahmed Mahsas, sociologist and independence war hero Larbi Ben M'hidi, Commander of Zone 5 during the independence war Abane Ramdane, political leader of the independence war; author of the "political over military" and "interior over exterior" principles Yacef Saadi, fighter in the independence war in the 1957 Battle of Algiers; actor in the 1966 war film by the same name after independence Mohamed Rahmoune, political and military leader of the independence war Abderrahmane Boushaki, political and military leader of the independence war Lyès Deriche, political leader of the independence war; member of the Revolutionary Committee of Unity and Action Yahia Boushaki, political and military leader of the independence war Independent Algeria Hocine Ait Ahmed, political leader and head of the Socialist Forces Front opposition party (also a prominent independence war leader) Ahmed Ben Bella, Algeria's first President, 1962–1965 Chadli Bendjedid, President of Algeria, 1979–1992 Rabah Bitat, vice president of Algeria's first government, president of parliament Mohamed Boudiaf, President of Algeria, 1992 (also a prominent Independence war leader) Houari Boumedienne, President of Algeria, 1965–1978 Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of Algeria, 1999–2019 Saïd Bouteflika, brother of Abdelaziz Bouteflika