France recognizes it killed Algerian independence figure in 1957
President of France Emmanuel Macron acknowledged on November 1st that Algerian independence figure Larbi Ben M’hidi was killed by French soldiers, the French presidency said as reported by the Arab News via AFP.
“He recognized today that Larbi Ben M’hidi, a national hero for Algeria… was killed by French soldiers,” the presidency said on the 70th anniversary of the uprising that sparked the war of independence, in a new gesture of reconciliation by Macron towards Algeria.
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Algeria began commemorations of the 70th anniversary on the same day, as was reported by Africa News. The century-plus long colonisation of Algeria by France the brutal eight-year independence war left deep scars.
Macron has made some gestures towards reconciliation while refusing to offer an apology for French imperialism. In 2017 before his election, he claimed France’s colonialism in Algeria was a “crime against humanity,” as was reported by RFI at the time. However, last year he said France will not ask Algeria for “forgiveness,” as was reported by The New Arab.
He commissioned historian Benjamin Stora to produce a report in 2020 which recommended further moves to reconcile the two countries, while ruling out “repentance” and “apologies.”
Macron questioning whether Algeria existed as a nation before French colonisation also drew an angry response from Algiers, which didn’t help his attempts to build a strong relationship with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
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Ben M’hidi was one of six founding members of the National Liberation Front or FLN, who began the revolt that led to the war. The presidency said the official version of the story was that Ben M’hidi had tried to commit suicide after his arrest in 1957, and died on the way to the hospital.
It clarified however that he had in fact been killed by soldiers under the command of General Paul Aussaresses, who admitted this in the early 2000s.
AFP, RFI, The New Arab
