Battle of Essien (1957)
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changes French forces withdraw from the region
| Battle of Essien | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Monument built in commemoration of the Battle | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Libya FLN |
 France | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
Unknown Unknown |
80 soldiers 3 armored vehicles 2 aircraft | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
Unknown Unknown |
12 killed 1 tank destroyed 1 plane destroyed | ||||||||
The Battle of Essien, also known as the Battle of Isin, took place in October 1957, in the village of Essien, located south of the Libyan town of Ghat. This significant engagement emerged from the complex dynamics of the Algerian War of Independence against French colonial rule.
During the French colonial empire's last days, Algerians had launched a rebellion against the French, with the means of seeking independence. The French had an unsteady relationship with not just the Algerian resistance, but also the neighbouring countries that bordered French Algeria.[1]
Franco-Libyan relations were quite unsteady. In November 1954, Bin Halim had assisted a delivery of supplies from Egypt to the Algerian resistance. Fezzan had then became the main supply route for the Algerian resistance.[2]
The battle
An ambush was orchestrated by Algerian Mujahideen on a French supply convoy near the Algeria–Libya border. Following this incident, the Mujahideen retreated into Libyan territory, prompting the French occupation army to pursue them across the border.[3] The escalation of hostilities led to the bombing of the village of Issin by French forces on October 3, 1957, further exacerbating tensions between Algeria, Libya, and France.[4][5][6]
The height of the conflict came on October 4, 1957, as the Libyan army intervened against the French forces, marking the commencement of the Battle of Essien.[7] The French deployed a column consisting of 16 cars and 80 soldiers. Algerian and Libyan revolutionaries intercepted the attack, engaging in fierce resistance against the invading forces.[8] Despite being outnumbered, the Algerian and Libyan fighters were able to defend their position, inflicting casualties on the French forces.[9][10]
The town was later bombed several times by the French. However, the Libyan and Algerian Mujahideen were able to force the French to withdraw from the region.[11][12][13]