Larbi Ben M'hidi

Larbi Ben M'hidi
Larbi Ben M'hidi
العربي بن مهيدي
	Ben M'hidi portrait
Born	Mohamed Larbi Ben M'hidi; 1923; Aïn M'lila, French Algeria
Died	4 March 1957 (aged 33–34); Algiers, French Algeria; (now Algeria)
Cause of death	Execution by hanging
Resting place	Martyrs' Square, El Alia Cemetery, Algiers, Algeria
Other names	El Hakim; Algerian Jean Moulin;
Known for	National Liberation Front; National Liberation Army; Toussaint Rouge; Algerian War; Soummam conference; Battle of Algiers;
Movement	FLN, ALN, CRUA, OS, MTLD

Larbi Ben M'hidi (Arabic: العربي بن مهيدي; 1923 – 4 March 1957), commonly known as Si Larbi or simply as Ben M'hidi, was a prominent Algerian revolutionary leader during the Algerian war of independence. He is one of the six founding members of the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN; National Liberation Front) that launched an armed revolt throughout Algeria 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.

^ "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 lemonde was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Naylor, Phillip C. (2006). Historical Dictionary of Algeria. Scarecrow Press. p. 117. ISBN 978-0810853409.

[AlgerieNetwork-1] "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.

[2] "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.

[lemonde-3] Cite error: The named reference lemonde was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[4] Naylor, Phillip C. (2006). Historical Dictionary of Algeria. Scarecrow Press. p. 117. ISBN 978-0810853409.

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