Ahmed Zabana (; real name: Ahmed Zahana; 1926 – 19 June 1956) was an Algerian fighter who participated in the outbreak of the

Algerian War The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...

. He was executed by

guillotine A guillotine ( ) is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by Decapitation, beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secur ...

by French regime colonizers on 19 June 1956, in

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

Early life

Zabana was born in 1926 in Saint-Lucien (now Zahana). The youngest of nine children, he was a member of the Algerian Muslim Scouts, which inspired nationalist feeling in him. He joined the

Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties The Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties (MTLD), name proposed by Maiza, was created October 1946 to replace the outlawed Parti du Peuple Algerien (PPA). Messali Hadj remained as its president. The MTLD was created on the same platfo ...

in 1950. He later became a member of the military wing of a pro-independence secret society, and participated in a mail operation in

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

in 1950. He was later arrested and spent three years in prison and an additional three years in exile.

Role in the preparation of the revolution

After the dissolution of the Revolutionary Committee of Unity and Action on 5 July 1954, Zabana was commissioned by Larbi Ben M'hidi to prepare for the revolution by obtaining weapons and personnel. Zabana's tasks were to structure revolutionary forces and train them, and also to visit strategic locations to choose places that could be made centers of revolution. Zabana succeeded in forming revolutionary cadres in Zahana,

, Aïn Témouchent, Hammam Bou Hadjar, Hassi El Ghella, and Chaabet El Ham. he then ordered the men of the cadres to gather subscriptions for buying weapons and ammunition. With Abdulmalek Ramadan, Zabana supervised the military training of the cadres. At a meeting on 30 October 1954, chaired by Ben M'hidi, the organizers of the revolution determined that it would begin with a series of attacks on the night of 1 November. The following day, 31 October, Zabana met with his units and assigned specific targets as well as a rendezvous point on Jabal al-Qada.

Role in the revolution

On 1 November 1954, Zabana led a successful operation in Lamarda. After carrying out the offensive operations against the agreed French objectives, Zabana met with the leaders and members of the operational teams to assess them and plan what should be done in the coming stages. Zabana was captured in the Battle of Gar Bouklida on 11 November 1954, in which he was wounded. He was taken to a hospital and then to prison.

Execution

On 21 April 1955, Zabana was brought to the military court in Oran and sentenced to death. On 3 May 1955, he was transferred to the Serkadji Prison in

. He was executed on 19 June 1956. He is sometimes described as the first martyr () to be the guillotined in the war.

Legacy

The

Ahmed Zabana National Museum The Ahmed Zabana National Museum (, ''El-mathaf El-ouatani Ahmed Zabana'') is a museum located in Oran, Algeria, and named after the Algerian national hero Ahmed Zabana who was executed by the French on May 19, 1956, in Algiers. Collections Th ...

and Ahmed Zabana Stadium in Oran are named after him. In 2012, the Algerian film director Saïd Ould-Khelifa launched a biographical film '' Zabana!'' with the lead role of Zabana played by Imad Benchenni.

References

External links

Commemoration of Ahmed Zabana (55 years ago) - ''algerie-plus.com''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zabana, Ahmed 1926 births 1956 deaths Algerian torture victims Members of the National Liberation Front (Algeria) Algerian War torture victims People from Mascara Province Executed Algerian people People executed by the French military by guillotine