On 22 October 1956, French forces hijacked a Moroccan civilian aircraft carrying leaders of the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) during the ongoing

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 ...

. The

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...

belonging to

Royal Air Maroc Royal Air Maroc (RAM, ; ; ) is the Morocco, Moroccan national carrier, as well as the country largest airline, ranking among the largest in Africa. RAM is wholly owned by the Cabinet of Morocco, Moroccan Government, and has its headquarters o ...

was carrying

Ahmed Ben Bella Ahmed Ben Bella (; 25 December 1916 – 11 April 2012) was an Algerian politician, soldier and socialist revolutionary who served as the head of government of Algeria from 27 September 1962 to 15 September 1963 and then the first president of ...

Hocine Aït Ahmed Hocine Aït Ahmed (‎; 20 August 1926 – 23 December 2015) was an Algerian politician. He was founder and leader until 2009 of the historical political opposition in Algeria. The Hocine Aït Ahmed Stadium, one of the largest stadiums by ...

Mohamed Boudiaf Mohamed Boudiaf (23 June 1919 – 29 June 1992, ; ALA-LC: ''Muḥammad Bū-Ḍiyāf''), also called Si Tayeb el Watani, was an Algerian politician and statesman, and one of the founders of the revolutionary National Liberation Front (FLN) t ...

, , and

Mohamed Khider Mohamed Khider () (March 13, 1912, Biskra, Algeria – January 4, 1967, Madrid, Spain) was an Algerian politician. War years and imprisonment Mohamed Khider was one of the original leaders of the Front de Libération nationale (FLN), having bee ...

. It was destined to leave from

Palma de Mallorca Palma (, ; ), also known as Palma de Mallorca (officially between 1983 and 1988, 2006–2008, and 2012–2016), is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is ...

for

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

where the FLN leaders were to conference with Prime Minister

Habib Bourguiba Habib Bourguiba (3 August 19036 April 2000) was a Tunisian politician and statesman who served as the Head of Government of Tunisia, prime minister of the Kingdom of Tunisia from 1956 to 1957, and then as the first president of Tunisia from 1 ...

, but French forces intercepted the civilian aircraft over the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

and redirected the flight to occupied

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 ...

, where the FLN leaders were arrested, derailing the planned conference in Tunis. It's considered one of the most important events in the

Context

The French protectorate over

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

had ended months before, and King Mohammed V supported the FLN in the struggle for Algerian independence.

Details

On 21 October 1956, King

Mohammed V of Morocco Mohammed al-Khamis bin Yusef bin Hassan al-Alawi, better known simply as Mohammed V (10 August 1909 – 26 February 1961), was the last Sultan of Morocco from 1927 to 1953 and from 1955 to 1957, and first King of Morocco from 1957 to 1961. A ...

received a delegation of leaders of the Algerian National Liberation Front—

, , and

—in

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...

. France disapproved of the meeting and

Alain Savary Alain Savary (; 25 April 191817 February 1988) was a French Socialist politician, deputy to the National Assembly of France during the Fourth and Fifth Republic, chairman of the Socialist Party (PS) and a government minister in the 1950s and i ...

, French

Secretary of State for Tunisian and Moroccan Affairs A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evaluat ...

under

Guy Mollet Guy Alcide Mollet (; 31 December 1905 – 3 October 1975) was a French politician. He led the socialist French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) from 1946 to 1969 and was the French Prime Minister from 1956 to 1957. As Prime Ministe ...

, announced the suspension of aid to Morocco. 22 October at midday, with fake documents, the FLN delegation left Rabat for Tunis by way of Palma in Spain in order to avoid flying over Algeria to circumvent France. The

registered "F. OABV" belonged to

, an

airline An airline is a company that provides civil aviation, air transport services for traveling passengers or freight (cargo). Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or Airline alliance, alliances with other airlines ...

owned by the Moroccan state. After departing Palma, French forces over the Mediterranean redirected the Moroccan aircraft, ordering the French pilot to land it in

where the FLN delegation was arrested. , Secretary of State for the Armed Forces, and and other French generals in Algiers were responsible for the operation, without interference from

Robert Lacoste Robert Lacoste (5 July 1898 – 8 March 1989) was a French politician. He was a socialist MP of the Dordogne from 1945 to 1958, and from 1962 to 1967. He then served as senator from 1971 to 1980. Biography Robert Lacoste was born at Azerat ...

, French resident minister and governor general of Algiers at the time. The hijacking and arrest of the FLN leadership derailed the planned conference in Tunis, to have been attended by the FLN delegation as well as

and Mohammed V, with the goal of establishing a North African Federation to promote the independence of Algeria and end the French-Algerian war.

Aftermath

King Mohammed V of Morocco was distraught and "feared for his own life." Anti-French riots broke out targeting French people in and around

Meknes Meknes (, ) is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco, located in northern central Morocco and the sixth largest city by population in the kingdom. Founded in the 11th century by the Almoravid dynasty, Almoravids as a military settlement, Mekne ...

, with dozens of casualties.

Legacy

Maati Monjib Maati Monjib (, born 6 March 1962) is a Moroccan university professor, journalist, historian, writer and political activist. Monjib holds two PhDs, one from France in North African politics and another from Senegal on African political history. M ...

mentioned historians discussing the event as the first instance of a passenger

aircraft hijacking Aircraft hijacking (also known as airplane hijacking, skyjacking, plane hijacking, plane jacking, air robbery, air piracy, or aircraft piracy, with the last term used within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States) is the Crime, ...

in history, but it is not the case.

Diplomatic consequences

With the leaders of the FLN (National Liberation Front), authorities seized documents providing formal evidence of Egyptian support for the FLN. However, the revelation of this support did not calm tensions; rather, it intensified them. In Morocco, violent anti-French riots resulted in around sixty deaths, with all victims being Europeans who were brutally massacred. Meanwhile, the Sultan adopted a firmer stance by recalling his ambassador from Paris.

took a similar position, and France faced severe criticism across the Arab world. Leftist French media reacted with extreme hostility, leading to the resignation of

, Secretary of State for Moroccan and Tunisian Affairs, along with his chief of staff,

Claude Cheysson Claude Cheysson (; 13 April 1920 – 15 October 2012) was a French Socialist politician who served as Foreign Minister in the government of Pierre Mauroy from 1981 to 1984. Career Cheysson was born in Paris and attended the Cours Hattemer, ...

. Pierre de Leusse, France's ambassador to Tunisia, also resigned from his post.Roger Faligot, Jean Guisnel, Rémi Kauffer, Histoire politique des services secrets français La Découverte 2013 p. 178 For the FLN, the capture of Ben Bella and his companions was not considered an irreparable loss, as these five men were politicians who could be easily replaced. Ben Bella famously stated at the time of his arrest: "This will change nothing!" Within forty-eight hours, the FLN distributed a leaflet in Algiers stating: "Five of our leaders have been arrested, but the machine remains in place." Conversely, the severing of relations with France was a significant blow to both parties. Although the FLN was now assured powerful support from Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco, it lost direct dialogue with France. On his part,

was furious; the operation occurred without his knowledge, and secret negotiations that had been initiated in Rome with the FLN were abruptly terminated. France was left facing a choice between total military victory or a complete abandonment of Algeria.

References

{{Aviation accidents and incidents in Morocco Aviation accidents and incidents in 1956 National Liberation Front (Algeria) Military operations of the Algerian War France–Morocco relations October 1956 in Africa 1956 crimes in Morocco Algeria–Morocco relations Algeria–France military relations Aircraft hijackings in Africa 1956 in the Algerian War Battle of Algiers (1956–1957) Terrorism in the Algerian War Terrorist incidents in Algeria in the 1950s Terrorism committed by France Aviation accidents and incidents in Algeria Hijackings in the 1950s Aviation accidents and incidents in Morocco Terrorist incidents in Morocco Aviation accidents and incidents in the Mediterranean Sea Royal Air Maroc accidents and incidents Terrorist incidents in Africa in 1956 1956 crimes in Algeria Aviation accidents and incidents in French Algeria