The law of March 30, 1902 brought creation of five Saharan companies (three other companies formed of four platoons each already existed in the French Levant () as well nomadic groups in Occidental French Africa ()) respectively based at Fort-Polignac (Tassili), Tindouff, El Oued, Adrar, and Tamanrasset.
Later, these companies were merged to give formation to a fourth Mounted Saharan Company of the Legion Etrangere ().