French Algeria (19th–20th centuries) Algerian War (1954–1962) 1990s–2000s 2010s to present Kusaila ibn Malzam (Arabic: كسيلة بن ملزم),[1][2] also known as Aksel,[3] was a 7th-century Berber Christian ruler of the kingdom of Altava and leader of the Awraba tribe, a Christianised sedentary Berber tribe of the Aures and possibly Christian king of the Sanhaja.

[9][better source needed] Initially the Berber States were able to defeat the Umayyad invaders at the Battle of Vescera (modern Biskra in Algeria), that was fought in 682 AD between the Berbers of King Kusaila and their Byzantine allies from the Exarchate of Africa against an Umayyad army under Uqba ibn Nafi, the founder of Kairouan.

[10] Uqba ibn Nafi had led his men in an invasion across North Africa, eventually reaching the Atlantic Ocean and marching as far south as the Draa and Sous rivers.

As a result of this crushing defeat Kusaila took control of Byzacena and a large part of Ifriqiya, the Arabs lost all of their land in Africa west of Cyrenaica and were expelled from the area of modern Tunisia and eastern Algeria for more than a decade.

[15] His name even intrigued Orientalists; unlike other Berber kings, like his predecessors Masuna, Masties, Mastigas and Garmul, Arab chroniclers likely transmitted us a name of another language: Latin Caecilius, a common name found in the graves of Volubilis.

He was captured by Uqba but in AD 683 he succeeded in escaping and raised against his tormentors a large force of Christian Berber and Byzantine soldiers.

For a while confusion reigned, but the Awraba recognized the weakness of their position and eventually capitulated to the newly re-organized and reinforced Arab army.

Abu al-Muhajir Dinar convinced him to accept Islam and join his army with a promise of full equality with the Arabs (678).

Kusaila incorporated the Awraba-Sanhaja into the conquering Arab force and participated in their uniformly successful campaigns under Abu al-Muhajir.