Boumediene's Last Words To Revolution Council Members

A CIA secret report reveals that the late President Houari Boumediene, was explicit with members of the Revolutionary Council and warned of the seriousness of his illness.

A document that was declassified by the US government shows a new series of diplomatic documents that are related to North Africa and that was issued during the administration of the President Jimmy Carter between In 1977 and 1980, that President Houari Boumedienne scheduled to hold a meeting with the members of the Council at the end of September or early October with the Interior Minister, Mohamed Ben Ahmed Abdelghani, Foreign Minister Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Transport Minister Ahmed Deraya, Agriculture Minister Tayeb Larbi, Water Resources Minister, Ahmed Charif, FLN official Saleh Yahiaoui, and the commander of the Second Military Region, Chadli Ben Jedid and the commander of the first military region Abdellah Belhouchet.
According to the CIA report, which was published by TSA news website (Everything about Algeria) with its document dated October 24, 1978, the President Boumediene said: “I am very sick, I will leave and I will leave you the rule of Algeria”.
It added: “President Boumediene later appointed Interior Minister Mohamed Abdelghani as head of state in his absence, commenting: “The man did not hesitate to act as head of state, and gave orders to high-level members of the government later”, as states by the CIA document.
CIA quoted its anonymous source as criticizing the government’s failure to inform the Algerian people about President Boumedienne’s illness, which was described by the press statements on the alleged debates in Moscow as ridiculous.
Other declassified documents showed US diplomats speculations about the successor to President Boumediene, in an analytical paper on the situation in Algeria that was prepared by the US State Department: “We understand that there are now two main wings within the council”.
Another document reveals that two other key members of the council, who are the commander of Oran region Chadli Ben Jedid, who has the support of many senior army officers and the Interior Minister, Mohamed Abdelghani.
The document also indicates that Ben Jedid’s ambitions seem limited to maintain his control over the Oran region, ending with the succession of the new president Chabli Ben Jedid to Boumediene, and became President on February,9, 1979.