Emmanuel Macron “recognizes” France’s responsibility in the assassination of Algerian nationalist Larbi Ben M’hidi

Emmanuel Macron has finally set the record straight. Seventy years to the day after the start of the Algerian War (1954-1962), the President of the Republic recognizes – in a press release published Friday November 1 – France's responsibility in the assassination in March 1957, in the middle of the battle of Algiers, by Larbi Ben M'hidi. Until now, the theory of suicide, presented by the army at the time, had never been denied by the French state, even though General Paul Aussaresses admitted, in 2001, to having hanged him.

« [M. Macron] recognizes today that Larbi Ben M'hidi, national hero for Algeria and one of the six leaders of the FLN [Front de libération nationale] who launched the insurrection of November 1, 1954, was assassinated by French soldiers under the command of General Aussaresses..

This gesture is all the stronger as Larbi Ben M'hidi is an emblem of the independence of his country, but also a personality esteemed by French soldiers and intellectuals. “ He was the revolutionary idealist, the politician, the theoretician (…) He was convinced that political action would bring victory and he neglected military support (…)”the journalist Yves Courrière wrote about him in his book Leopard time (Fayard, 1969).

Murdered by Paul Aussaresses

It was Benjamin Stora who proposed to Emmanuel Macron to reestablish the historical truth about the death at 34 of this man considered to be the “Jean Moulin Algerian”. “He is the most important leader of the revolution of the War of Independence who was assassinated by the French special services”explains to Monde the historian. For him, the gesture of the President of the Republic “ recognizes the political legitimacy of the fight of Algerian nationalists”.

Even a formidable enemy like General Marcel Bigeard (colonel at the time), at the head of the 3^e regiment of colonial paratroopers during the battle of Algiers, will say about him that he “was the greatest, really.” On February 23, 1957, his commando succeeded in arresting Larbi Ben M'hidi, politico-military leader of the FLN for the Algiers region. He was found lifeless a few days later.

According to the version then provided by the French authorities, Larbi Ben M'hidi killed himself in his cell on the night of March 3 to 4 by hanging himself with the tatters of his shirt, which he had made into a rope that he he tied it to a window bar. In reality, the colonel of the National Liberation Army (ALN) was assassinated by “Commander O” alias Paul Aussaresses – officially responsible for coordinating the work of intelligence officers, police and justice during the battle of 'Algiers – and six of his men.

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