Macron recognises Algerian national hero Larbi Ben M'hidi 'killed by French soldiers' in 1957
French President Emmanuel Macron issued a statement on Friday, the 70th
anniversary of the November 1, 1954 uprising that led to the Algerian
War, acknowledging that prominent Algerian revolutionary leader Larbi
Ben M'hidi was killed by French soldiers after his arrest in 1957.
President Emmanuel Macron on Friday acknowledged that Larbi Ben M'hidi, a key figure in Algeria's War of Independence against France, had been killed by French soldiers after his arrest in 1957, the French presidency said.
"He
recognised 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 revolt that sparked the war, in a new gesture of
reconciliation by Macron towards the former colony.
France's more than a century-long colonisation of Algeria and the viciously fought 1954-62 war of independence have left deep scars on both sides.
In
recent years, Macron has made several gestures towards reconciliation
while stopping short of issuing any apology for French imperialism
Since coming to power in 2017, Macron has sought "to look at the
history of colonisation and the Algerian War in the face, with the aim
of creating a peaceful and shared memory", the presidency said.
Ben
M'hidi was one of six founding members of the National Liberation Front
(FLN) that launched the armed revolt against French rule that led to
the war.
The presidency said that according to the official
version, Ben M'hidi after his arrest in February 1957 attempted to
commit suicide and died during his transfer to the hospital.
But
it said he had in fact been killed by soldiers under the command of
General Paul Aussaresses, who admitted to this at the beginning of the
2000s.
In 2017, then-presidential candidate Macron dubbed the French occupation a "crime against humanity".
A
report he commissioned from historian Benjamin Stora recommended in
2020 further moves to reconcile the two countries, while ruling out
"repentance" and "apologies".
But Macron, who has sought to build a strong relationship with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune,
in 2022 questioned whether Algeria existed as a nation before being
colonised by France, drawing an angry response from Algiers.
