Ahmad Ben Bella
| Ahmed Ben Bella | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 1st President of Algeria | |
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In office 15 September 1963 – 19 June 1965 |
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| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | Houari Boumediene (as Chairman of the Revolutionary Council) |
| 1st Prime Minister of Algeria | |
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In office 27 September 1962 – 20 September 1963 |
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| Preceded by | Benyoucef Benkhedda (as Head of Government) |
| Succeeded by | Mohamed Ben Ahmed Abdelghani (as Prime Minister in 1979) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
25 December 1916 Maghnia, Algeria |
| Died | 11 April 2012 (aged 95) Algiers, Algeria |
| Political party | FLN |
| Spouse(s) | Zohra Michelle Sellami (m. ?–2008) |
| Children | Mehdia Ben Bella Noria Ben Bella |
| Religion | Sufi Islam |
Ahmed Ben Bella (Arabic: أحمد بن بلّة Aḥmad bin Billah; 25 December 1916 – 11 April 2012) was an Algerian socialist soldier and revolutionary who was the first President of Algeria from 1963 to 1965.
Ahmed Ben Bella was born in Maghnia, in the former department of Oran, western Algeria, on 25 December 1916, during the height of the French colonial period.
He was son of a farmer and small businessman, who supported his family through this economic activities. He had five brothers and two sisters. Of them, the oldest one died because of the wounds of the First World War which he fought for France, other two died because of illness and one disappeared in France at 1940, in the Mayhem of the Nazi victory.
Ben Bella started his studies in Maghnia, where he went to the french school, and continued them in the city of Tlemcen, where he became aware of racial discrimination, disturbed by the discrimination towards Arabs by his European teacher. As it, he started complaining and chafed imperialism and colonialism and criticized French cultural influence, starting also his participation on nationalist movement.
Ben Bella volunteered for service in the French Army in 1936. The Army was one of the few avenues of advancement for Algerians under colonial rule and voluntary enlistment was common. Posted to Marseille he played center mid-field for Olympique de Marseille in 1939–1940. His only appearance for the club was in a game against FC Antibes in the Coupe de France on 29 April 1940 in Cannes. He also scored a goal during the game. The club officials offered him a professional spot on the team, but he rejected the offer. He also played for IRB Maghnia.
Ben Bella conscripted to the army again in 1940, believing that this would give Algerians an equal treatment. Thereby, he fought for the French during World War II, and he was even awarded twice. He received the ″Croix de guerre″ after manning an anti-aircraft post during the german invasion in 1940. He was demobilised after the fall of France but joined a regiment of Moroccan tirailleurs (infantry) with whom he saw service throughout the Italian campaign. There, he was again awarded because of his bravery demonstrated at Monte Cassino, where he dragged one wounded CO to safety, assuming control of his battalion. For this,he was promoted to the rank of warrant officer, and he received the ″Médaille militaire″, the highest condecoration of the free French forces, directly from Charles de Gaulle.
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