Research Article | Open Access
A Review of the 1862 Ghadames Trade Agreement between the Tuareg of Ajjer and the French – Backgrounds and Objectives
Mohammed Mebarek Kedida
Pages: 124-137
Abstract
This research addresses an analytical study and reading of the Ghadames trade agreement
between the French and the Tuareg. It attempts to provide a historical reading of the
circumstances and backgrounds of the trade agreement signed between the two parties. This
scientific paper also aims to highlight the objectives of the French occupation in signing the
agreement and its impact on caravan trade, as well as the role of this agreement in resolving the
conflict between France and Britain over desert caravan trade. Additionally, it discusses the
backgrounds of the agreement signed with the Tuareg of Ajjer and analyzes the terms of the
agreement, its additional clauses, and its implications for each party. It also examines various
sources regarding this agreement, which positioned France, seeking to expand in the desert, as
a party in caravan trade. This is particularly significant as the agreement focused on the regions
of the Tuareg, through which the caravans passed back and forth, imposing fees to protect the
caravans while they traversed Ajjer or Ahaggar territories. Although the agreement was signed
with the Tuareg of Ajjer, both parties were targeted in the agreement, which was signed in the
name of Ikhenoukhen and the then French governor-general of Algeria.
Keywords
Ghadames Trade Agreement, Tuareg, French Occupation, Caravan Trade, Historical Analysis