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Historically, the Sahara had connected the north and the south of Africa through the oases. However, national histories have focused on the populated area, neglecting the unique experience of the Saharans. This article aims to revisit a question about the political belonging of the Saharans, which arose during the Algerian War, with reference to the oasis town located in the north-central Sahara: Wargla. In the 1950s, France planned to build the new polity ‘Sahara Français’ as part of its colonial reforms. This plan was accompanied by the separation of the Saharan part of the territory of French Algeria, and it offered the people of the relevant area two possibilities: Algeria or Sahara Français. Confronted with this situation, the reactions of the inhabitants of Wargla were not uniform. The author explores the causes of their different attitudes, focusing on three caïds (muslim chiefs). After evaluating the changes in social status brought by their choices, they developed their strategies, and then decided their own political belongings. Thus, the pragmatic and specific political actions of the Saharans, which were not confined to the territorial perceptions utilized as a framework by most of historians, were revealed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]