Ben Bella’s abduction derailed a promising Maghreb peace initiative

Evidence

At the time of the seizure of the Athos, Ben Bella was on his way to Morocco to arrange the reception and distribution of its arms. Deeply chagrined by the news of the Soummam Conference and its decisions taken in his absence, he was intending to reject these (especially the primacy of the “interior” over the “exterior”), and to launch a political counter-offensive to re-establish his own personal pre-eminence. To this end he planned to fly from Morocco to Tunis, to convene there, on 22 or 23 October, his own “summit conference” of the three Maghreb powers. There they would discuss both the future conduct of the war and the furtherance of the peace initiatives then under way secretly with Mollet’s representatives. With both Tunisian and Moroccan leaders disposed towards a negotiated compromise peace at this time, there seemed a reasonable prospect of success for Ben Bella’s initiative. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 484

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the Soummam Conference’s division between interior and exterior leadership, and the broader theme of colonial peace initiatives being sabotaged. — connects to: France’s refusal of a Maghreb confederation doomed compromise peace efforts; Mollet lacked the political strength to release Ben Bella as peace negotiators. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 488; Ben Bella sided with Boumedienne’s hard-liners and insisted on tougher terms against French concessions — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1551

Related

• Mollet lacked the political strength to release Ben Bella as peace negotiators. (similarity 0.88)
• France’s refusal of a Maghreb confederation doomed compromise peace efforts (similarity 0.88)
• The Ben Bella hijacking sealed off any negotiated end to the war. (similarity 0.82)
• Suez and the Ben Bella affair destroyed Mollet’s Algerian policy. (similarity 0.81)
• The Ben Bella hijacking backfired by pushing Tunisia and Morocco firmly behind the FLN. (similarity 0.81)
• Ben Bella sided with Boumedienne’s hard-liners and insisted on tougher terms against French concessions (similarity 0.80)
• Boumedienne seized power from Ben Bella in a 1965 army coup. (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Mollet lacked the political strength to release Ben Bella as peace negotiators. #expands (0.80) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 488
• Ben Bella sided with Boumedienne’s hard-liners and insisted on tougher terms against French concessions #complicates (0.60) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1551