born June 23, 1919, M 02BE; Sila, Alg.
died June 29, 1992, Annaba
Algerian political leader.
With Ahmed Ben Bella , he cofounded the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN), which led the fight for Algerian independence from France (195462). He was imprisoned by the French from 1956 until Algerian independence in 1962, whereupon he became deputy premier under Ben Bella in the new government. His opposition to Ben Bella's autocratic style led to a 27-year exile. In 1992 he was invited back to head the government and to deal with rising religious influence in political affairs. He was assassinated by a bodyguard shortly thereafter. See also Islamic Salvation Front .