Back العربي بن مهيدي Arabic আরবি বিন মাহিদি Bengali/Bangla Larbi Ben M'hidi Breton Larbi Ben M'hidi German Larbi Ben M'hidi Spanish Larbi Ben M'hidi Basque العربی بن مهیدی Persian Larbi Ben M'hidi French Larbi Ben M'hidi Galician Larbi Ben M'hidi Italian
Larbi Ben M'hidi | |
|---|---|
العربي بن مهيدي | |
 Ben M'hidi portrait | |
| Born | Mohamed Larbi Ben M'hidi 1923 |
| Died | 4 March 1957 (aged 33–34) Algiers, French Algeria |
| Cause of death | extrajudicial hanging |
| Resting place | Martyrs' Square, El Alia Cemetery, Algiers, Algeria |
| Other names | |
| Known for | |
| Movement | FLN, ALN, CRUA, OS, MTLD |
Larbi Ben M'hidi (Arabic: العربي بن مهيدي; 1923 – 4 March 1957), commonly known as Si Larbi, was an Algerian revolutionary and prominent figure during the Algerian War of Independence. He is one of the six founding members of the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) that launched an armed revolt throughout Algeria against French colonial rule and issued a proclamation calling for a sovereign Algerian state.
Ben M'hidi initially commanded Wilaya V (the military district in the Oran region) and played an important role at the FLN's Soummam conference in August 1956. He headed FLN operations during the Battle of Algiers where he was the last member of the FLN's Comité de Coordination et d'Exécution (CCE; Committee of Coordination and Implementation). Ben M'hidi was a strong believer in that the revolution should be directed by "internal" rather than "external" revolutionaries.[4]
He was captured by French paratroopers in February 1957. His death was announced in March 1957 by Pierre Gorlin, Robert Lacoste's press officer. The events surrounding his death were disputed, and contended by many that he was in fact tortured before being summarily executed. Many who knew him, have ruled out the possibility of him taking his own life, as was reported in the media, due to his devotion to Islam, which forbids suicide. In 2000, General Aussaresses admitted that Ben M'hidi was executed whilst in his custody, however, the exact truth regarding his death remains a mystery to this day. Ben M'hidi is considered to be a national hero in Algeria and is considered to be a symbol of the revolution that brought an end to French colonialism. Following six decades of his assassination, on 1 November 2024, French president Emmanuel Macron, acknowledged that Ben M'hidi was "assassinated by French soldiers" in 1957.[5][6]
- ^ "Mohamed Larbi Ben M'hidi; L'homme qui a fait trembler l'état-major français" (in French). Algérie Network. 3 March 2014. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- ^ "Yacef Saadi: "Ben M'hidi a été tué par balles"" (in French). Liberte Algerie. 15 February 2012. Archived from the original on 18 October 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
lemondewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Naylor, Phillip C. (2006). Historical Dictionary of Algeria. Scarecrow Press. p. 117. ISBN 978-0810853409.
- ^ "Algérie : Macron reconnaît que le dirigeant du FLN Larbi Ben M'hidi a été «assassiné par des militaires français» en 1957". Le Figaro (in French). 1 November 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ "Macron recognises Algerian national hero Larbi Ben M'hidi 'killed by French soldiers' in 1957". France 24. 1 November 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.