The F.L.N. executed Si Salah for breaching discipline in treating with the French

Evidence

In November 1984, to mark the 30th anniversary of the opening of the “Algerian War of National Liberation”, President Chadli Bendjedid decreed an act of amnesty embracing posthumously some fifty F.L.N. leaders who had fallen prey to internal dispute, both during and after the war. Prominent among these was Si Salah. At the time of the 1984 amnesty, among Algerian veterans knowledgeable about the episode, the author was also able to meet the son of Si Salah (alias Zamoun) himself. He was eight at the time of his father’s death and anxious to ascertain the precise facts surrounding it. It is now accepted that, in the first place, the grievances of Si Salah and Wilaya 4 against Boumedienne’s “exterior” were real indeed. Secondly, Si Salah on his return from Paris was not (as surmised on p. 393) killed by a French patrol. Instead it appears that, after spending nearly a whole year in semi-captivity, Si Salah was executed on the orders of Boumedienne and the G.P.R.A. As of 1984, the official view of Si Salah seems to be an essentially tragic one; he had breached discipline in treating with the French, but was no traitor — simply a victim of the wiles of de Gaulle at his most Machiavellian. Such revelations about the inner workings of the F.L.N. could certainly not have been made in 1973, while Boumedienne was still alive. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1222 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

According to General Jacquin, as he is today, a “killer” despatched from Tunis from the G.P.R.A. forced Si Mohamed — always the most reluctant of the Wilaya 4 leaders — to return to the fold, and imposed upon him the execution of his guilty peers. Lakhdar, Halim and Abdellatif were summarily put to death, while Si Salah — on account of his seniority and distinction as a maquisard — was ordered to make his way to Tunis and stand trial there. Many months elapsed, unaccountably, with Si Salah apparently still under arrest in Algeria. Jacquin’s B.E.L. attempted a cloak-and-dagger operation to liberate him, but without success. Then, in July the following year, Si Salah, evidently on his way to Tunisia at last, was killed in an ambush by a French patrol; little more than two weeks later, but in another corner of Algeria, Si Mohamed was also tracked down and killed in an opération ponctuelle mounted by the 11th Shock. The coincidence, and curious circumstances, of the deaths of the two leaders have encouraged anti-Gaullists in the French army to speculate, even today, that there may have been more to it all than met the eye. Undeniable it was that, following their deaths, no one was left on the Algerian side able to give evidence about the whole sad story of “Operation Tilsit”. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1192 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Si Chérif’s Arab-Kabyle feud defected a whole katiba to the French; Interior F.L.N. commanders sought a separate peace that bypassed the G.P.R.A.; The Si Salah fiasco triggered the Generals’ Revolt. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1201 (+8 more)

Related

• De Gaulle distrusted Si Salah’s renegades as turncoats against hierarchy. (similarity 0.96)
• Si Salah was executed by the FLN, not killed by the French (similarity 0.92)
• The FLN itself executed Si Salah, not a French patrol (similarity 0.92)
• The F.L.N. executed rebel commanders who had negotiated secretly with de Gaulle (similarity 0.89)
• De Gaulle’s public appeal to the G.P.R.A. sealed Si Salah’s fate (similarity 0.89)
• The G.P.R.A. liquidated the Wilaya 4 leaders who negotiated with de Gaulle. (similarity 0.86)
• Renouncing Si Salah forced de Gaulle to negotiate solely with the FLN (similarity 0.86)
• The Si Salah fiasco triggered the Generals’ Revolt. (similarity 0.85)
• Interior F.L.N. commanders sought a separate peace that bypassed the G.P.R.A. (similarity 0.85)
• De Gaulle’s double-dealing with Si Salah’s breakaway F.L.N. faction pushed Challe toward revolt. (similarity 0.83)
• Mention of secret F.L.N. contact Si Salah imperilled the trial of Challe (similarity 0.80)
• F.L.N. leaders imprisoned in France signed documents supporting Abane’s execution. (similarity 0.80)
• Interior fighters threatened to break from the G.P.R.A. and negotiate directly with de Gaulle. (similarity 0.80)
• Sakiet’s fallout made the Algerian army feel betrayed by Paris. (similarity 0.80)
• FLN gained most from French brutal strike-breaking methods. (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Si Salah was executed by the FLN, not killed by the French #corroborates (0.90)
• The FLN itself executed Si Salah, not a French patrol #corroborates (0.90) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1222
• The F.L.N. executed rebel commanders who had negotiated secretly with de Gaulle #expands (0.80) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1192
• Mention of secret F.L.N. contact Si Salah imperilled the trial of Challe #qualifies (0.50) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1400
• Renouncing Si Salah forced de Gaulle to negotiate solely with the FLN #expands (0.40) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1202
• De Gaulle appealed directly to the G.P.R.A. despite the private deal with Si Salah #qualifies (0.40) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1189
• De Gaulle’s public appeal to the G.P.R.A. sealed Si Salah’s fate #expands (0.40) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1190