Algeria 1955
Source: Colette et Francis Jeanson: L'Algerie Hors la Loi. Editions du Seuil, Paris 1955;
Translated: for marxists.org by Mitch Abidor;
CopyLeft: Creative Commons (Attribute & ShareAlike) marxists.org.
Within months of the outbreak of the war in Algeria, Colette and Francis Jeanson — the latter of whom was to be a key figure in the French resistance to the war — published a book on the country and the conflict. Included in the book were early FLN tracts, among them this one, which presages the bloody internecine war that was to be carried out between the FLN and the followers of Messali Hadj.
The FLN, faithful to the commitment it made at the time of its creation to denounce those who block your march towards liberation, wants today to enlighten you on certain events that have recently occurred.
1. The assassination of M. Abbas Allaoua and the attempted assassination of Maitre Belhadj-Said Cherif.
The FLN carried out a serious inquest. It can affirm that Abbas Allaoua and Cherif Belhadj were not respectively killed and wounded by men of the army of national liberation. These two men are militants of a nationalist party, all of whose views we do not share, but they were, nevertheless, anti-colonialists, and the FLN has always declared that the army of national liberation will only attack colonialism and its supporters.
2. Attacks on the Mozabites [1]
Several Mozabite merchants were victims of attacks perpetrated by individuals fooled by a clique of adventurers who claim to be nationalists. These individuals are followers of Messali. For our part, this doesn’t surprise us. We know Messali. We know his bulimia for power and personal prestige. We know what he’s capable of when his authority is no longer recognized. He has already broken up the unity of the national movement. Today he is colonialism’s auxiliary in its fight against the Algerian fighting forces: the Front de Liberation and the Armée de Liberation. Messali doesn’t hesitate to enlist in his ranks a Rihani, who there is no need to introduce to the public of Algiers, and an individual who calls himself Bennouna. This Bennouna is known to the FLN. He is an authentic inspector of the DST[2]. He is the one who lately arrested the patriot Mohammed ben Mokaddem.
3. Threatening letters to merchants in Algiers
Messali and his band had threatening letters written for them (for their absolute ignorance is proverbial) by Trotskyists in the name of the ALN, and addressed them to merchants in Algiers. These ignoble people don’t hesitate to demand from poor small merchants sums of a million and sometimes more in order to refill their empty coffers.
The FLN invites the Mozabite brothers to join the ranks of those who fight against colonialism and its valets.
The FLN asks those merchants who received threatening letters not to pay anything and that they ask for the assistance of militants of the FLN whenever they feel threatened.
1. A Berber people.
2. French secret service.