“ALGERIA FACES ARMED REBELLION
On September 27 the French government was notified by the Algerian government that the. complete nationalization of all ~ lands held by French colons (settlers) was projected. This followed a wave of nationalizations after Ben Bella was voted president September 15 in a one+party election. [See Septem ber 27 issue of World Outlook. |
Two days later ‘in'‘the plaza of Tizi-Ouzou, leaders of the "Front of Socialist Forces". staged a-rally involving three to five thousand people. They called for the armed overthrow of the Ben Bella governnent .
_Tizi-Ouzou is the capital. of. Kabylie. and most of the lead~ ers of the rebellion were Kabyles. They claimed, however, that they represented overwhelming popular sentiment throughout Algeria and that they expected a "chain reaction". which. would bring down the Ben Bella government.
This was on Sunday. Ben Bella! Ss answer was not long in coming. He went at once to the people, calling for formation of. "vigilance committees."- The following day, September 30, in a radio broadcast, he dismisSed the defecting Col. liohand Ou EL Hadj and ordered the troops under his command.to refuse any orders but those of the government. He charged that the Moroccan government of King Moulay Hassan hac moved troops to "within ten meters of the Algerian frontier" and he accused a prominent opposition leader Belkacem Krim of visiting Morocco within the past ten.days to obtain the king's help. ;
In a second radio address Ben Bella branded the outbreak in Kabylie as a "political adventure." He placed the main blame on Ait Ahmed, but also named Mohand Ou Hl Hadj. "Boudiaf," he said, "is likewise. in connivance with Ait Ahmed and is at the bottom of this crisis."
Te is because Algeria is leaving behind the provisional character it gave the institutions enabling it to build socialism," he said, "that these ambitious people and adventurers dared to rise against the nation and its institutions and ally themselves with the obscure forces of neocolonialisn and the counterrevolution.
A mass rally was called for Wednesday October 2. The outcome was "indescribable," a correspondent writes. More than 200,000 people packed into the Hsplanade before the Government Palace.
In a fighting speech, Ben Bella traced the socialist achievecments of his government, declaring that the poor Algerian peasants now enjoy greater rights than in any other country in the world.
In his attack on the armed rebellion he revealed that official documents proved that one of the principal leaders of the left wing of the FLN [Front de Liberation National] the martyred Abane Ramdane had been "strangled by the commandos of the GPRA" [Gouvernement Provisoire de la République Algerienne] in a bitter faction struggle during the war for freedom. The GPRA-was the regime put in office with French help that sought to block Ben Bella last year but which finally had to give way in face of support for him by the armed forces...
Ben Bella again pledged before the vast crowd that his government would continue resolutely down the road ‘to socialism.
"Today, my brothers," he said, "I am pleased to announce, in this historic minute, awaited for 1345 years -- I announce it before the world -- today, we have taken measures concerning the agrarian reform. From this second, not another hectare of this land of Algeria belongs to a colon. All the land is returned to the peasants."
‘The measures involve 900,000 hectares [2,250,000 acres], affecting four to five thousand French colons.
' Plots under thirty hectares [seventy-five acres} will not be touched, said Ben Bella. Small merchants and artisans were. tikewise reassured that their property will not be taken.
Ata “national conference in Algiers of some 3,500 start members of thé FIN the same day, Hadj Ben Alla, a leading member of the Ben Bella government called for the immediate organization of "vigilance committees" throughout Algeria "by areas in the cities, by communities and by hamlets" everywhere.
"The vigilance committees under the control and authority of the National Liberation Front will have the mission of safesuarding and fighting against the counterrevolution.
"We appeal to the people to constitute them and we will arm them if necessary so that they can play their role fully and efficiently."
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On October 3 Ben Bella appeared before the National Assenbly to ask for “special powers" to deal with the situation. "A criminal counterrevolution is menacing our unity and our territorial integrity," he said. "The very foundations of our revolution are threatened." The special powers were granted at once.
During the week no shooting occurred. Some correspondents called it a "phony" war. However Claude Bucamp, correspondent of the Paris daily Le Figaro cabled October 6 from Algers: "Everything appears calm in Algeria but the powder kegs are in | place and an unexpected spark could set off the explosion.'
By Michel Pablo
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