Krim Belkacem ( ar, عبد الكريم بلقاسم or ) (September 14, 1922, Aït Yahia Moussa, Tizi Ouzou Province – October 18, 1970) was the historic leader of the National Liberation Front during the Algerian War. As vice-president of the GPRA, he was the sole signatory of the Évian Accords on the Algerian side. After the 1965 coup d'état, he went into exile and was assassinated in Germany in 1970.

Biography

Krim was born in the village of Aït Yahia Moussa (now in Tizi Ouzou Province) in the Berber-speaking

Kabylie Kabylia ('' Kabyle: Tamurt n Leqbayel'' or ''Iqbayliyen'', meaning "Land of Kabyles", '','' meaning "Land of the Tribes") is a cultural, natural and historical region in northern Algeria and the homeland of the Kabyle people. It is part of ...

region of

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. During the Second World War, he joined the French Army, and was promoted corporal in the First Algerian Sharpshooter Regiment, reputedly becoming an excellent shot.Cheurfi, Achour, La Classe Politique Algerienne, Casbah Editions, Alger, 2006 - p 230 Demobilized on October 4, 1945, he returned to his home village, where he took up a bureaucratic post. Krim joined the underground Algerian People's Party at the beginning of 1946, setting up clandestine cells in 12 villages around Draa el-Mizan. Accused of the murder of a

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

warden in 1947, he was hunted and he joined the

maquis Maquis may refer to: Resistance groups * Maquis (World War II), predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance * Spanish Maquis, guerrillas who fought against Francoist Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War * The netwo ...

under the

Pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

of Si Rabah with Moh Nachid, Mohand Talah and Messaoud Ben Arab. Twice sentenced to death by

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

tribunals in 1947 and 1950, he became the Kabylie responsible of the PPA- MTLD paramilitary organization founded in February 1947 by Messali Hadj, the '' Organisation spéciale'', at the head of 22 members of the resistance (''

maquisard The Maquis () were rural guerrilla bands of French and Belgian Resistance fighters, called ''maquisards'', during the Nazi occupation of France in World War II. Initially, they were composed of young, mostly working-class, men who had escap ...

s''). During the Algerian War of Independence, Krim was chief of the FLN's 3rd Wilaya, Kabylie and its surrounding area. After his important role at the Soummam Congress—in which the FLN formalized its revolutionary program—Krim became one of the most important and powerful of all the FLN chiefs.Cheurfi, Achour, La Classe Politique Algerienne, Casbah Editions, Alger, 2006 - p 231 He was the first to be Minister of Defense, then Foreign Minister, in the provisional Government of the Algerian republic ( GPRA) in 1958, and

Vice President of Algeria A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trai ...

. Later he was the principal Algerian negotiator of the agreements of Évian in March 1962. Belkacem was in opposition to the creation of the

Political Bureau A politburo () or political bureau is the executive committee for communist parties. It is present in most former and existing communist states. Names The term "politburo" in English comes from the Russian ''Politbyuro'' (), itself a contraction ...

of the FLN in July 1962 by Ahmed Ben Bella,

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

Houari Boumedienne, and

Mohamed Khider Muhammad was an Islamic prophet and a religious and political leader who preached and established Islam. Muhammad and variations may also refer to: *Muhammad (name), a given name and surname, and list of people with the name and its variations ...

Political views and Assassination

After the coup d'état of June 19, 1965, he returned to the opposition. Accused of having organized an attack against Boumediene in April 1967, manipulated and betrayed by part of his entourage, he was sentenced to death in absentia. According to his daughter Karima, in an interview with El Moudjahid on March 25, 1998, Belkacem definitively gave up politics and went into exile in August 1967: "On August 4, 1967," she says, "he hastily packed his whole family with some effects in the family.

Volkswagen Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German Automotive industry, motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a ...

and drive all night in to

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...

. The next day, he was sentenced in absentia." On October 17, 1967, he created with friends including Slimane Amirat, Colonels Amar Ouamrane and

Mohand Oulhadj Mohannad ( ar, مهند) is a masculine Arabic name meaning “sword made in India”. It is derived from the word for India (''Al Hind'' الهند) and can mean both "India-ified" or "Indian". The iron used for it came from India. Given name ...

, the Movement for the Defense of the Algerian Revolution (MDRA), an underground party intended to fight against the Boumediene regime. Frankfurt Am Main-InterContinental Frankfurt von Westen-20120222

Frankfurt Am Main-InterContinental Frankfurt von Westen-20120222

Two years later, on October 18, 1970, he was found strangled with his tie in a room at the Inter-Continental Hotel in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

, presumably by Algerian military security agents.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Krim, Belkacem 1922 births 1970 deaths People from Aït Yahia Moussa Kabyle people Algerian People's Party politicians Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties politicians Members of the National Liberation Front (Algeria) Assassinated Algerian politicians People sentenced to death in absentia French military personnel of World War II Vice presidents of Algeria People of the Algerian War Algerian people murdered abroad People murdered in Germany Foreign ministers of Algeria Defense ministers of Algeria Algerian Berber politicians 20th-century Algerian politicians Burials in Algeria

Biography

Political views and Assassination

See also

References