Ferhat Mehenni, bete noire of the Algerian regime and fighter for the freedom of the Kabyle people

The editorial staff of “Barlamane.com”
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23:57 – January 17, 2025

Since his exile in France, Ferhat Mehenni, an emblematic figure in the fight for the self-determination of Kabylia, has forcefully condemned what he considers to be a systematic strategy of destabilization orchestrated by the Algerian regime. Founder of the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylia (MAK) and fervent defender of a secular republic, Mr. Mehenni accuses Algiers of exploiting crises, including in France, to serve the political ambitions of its aging nomenklatura.

A prophetic warning

As pointed out The Point in its January 16 issue, Ferhat Mehenni warned from 2023 against the Algerian regime’s attempts to manipulate French social divisions for political ends. In July 2023, while the tragic death of Nahel inflamed the suburbs, a controversial video by Tebboune, broadcast during a commemoration of the victims of October 17, 1961, denounced a supposed “systemic racism” In France. The Point reports that Mr. Mehenni considered this intervention as an attempt to inflame tensions by exploiting the collective memory of Algerians in France. “The criminal and corrupt regime of Algiers will stop at nothing to establish its authority and exports its strategy of division to French soil”declared Mr. Mehenni in an interview with the weekly.

A hunted dissident and a bereaved family fight

Ferhat Mehenni, a refugee in France since 2008, continues to denounce the persecution targeting Kabyle activists. He himself is hunted down by Algiers, which has condemned him several times in absentia. His political commitment even came at the price of blood: his eldest son, Ameziane Mehenni, was assassinated in 2004 in murky circumstances. The Point recalls the suspicions that Mr. Mehenni has always expressed against the Algerian authorities, accused of having perpetrated this assassination.

In this exclusive interview with The PointMehenni also points out the complacency of the French authorities in the face of the Algerian regime. He calls on Paris to adopt a firm position and clearly support the right of peoples to self-determination. “Today, France is finally waking up”he confides, while regretting that actions are slow to follow declarations. Ferhat Mehenni concludes on a note of distrust and hope, reaffirming his fight for a free Kabylia.