The efforts of the French colonial authorities to infiltrate the ranks of the resistance in western Algeria through the Agreement of El karma on June 16,1835

Abstract

This study examines the French colonial efforts to penetrate the resistance in western Algeria through the Karmet Agreement of June 16, 1835. The agreement served as a political and military tool to weaken the cohesion of resistance forces and create divisions among local and tribal leaders. The research addresses the impact of this agreement on the balance of power between French authorities and the resistance led by Emir Abdelkader. Using a historical -analytical approach based on colonial documents and local sources, the study explores the contexts, clauses, and outcomes of the agreement, Findings indicate that the Karmet Agreement was not merely a temporary settlement but part of a broader colonial strategy aimed at internal infiltration and fragmentation, which weakened some social support networks of the resistance and reorganized colonial policy in western Algeria. The study also highlights the limits of this policy and its effects on the early stages of Algerian resistance.