Interview- Interview- Islamist Bouali’s brother: Mustapha Bouali shot only one time over 6 six years on the run (part 2)
الشروق أونلاين
-
-
2506
-
0
Bilal Zouaoui
Sid Ahmed Bouali
(part 2)
Why didn’t Mustapha Bouali consult scholars and preachers before joining armed groups?
Mustapha run away from security prosecution. The only available mediators were those who prayed at the mosque in Achour. He started thinking about dealing with the situation. He called scholars and preachers. The war veterans managed to convince him to leave the mountain and rejoin society.
What happened after he had come back from Khadiri’s office?
When Mustapha came back home, his fellows in the mountain accused him of betrayal. I met Hadi Hamoudi and told him: “why don’t you carry out arms instead of my brother?” He told me: “you don’t have the right to say that because you are coward.”
Two months later, Mustapha started giving Islamic courses once again. Yet, he was shortly attacked at his home by cars and 30 armed men. They broke the windows but he managed to run away.
Why was he attacked?
The main reason was the courses he gave. He talked about the necessity of organizing a peaceful march to call for Sharia concretization, in response to President Chadli’s remarks. At that time, he run away definitively and no one could convince him to come back even his fellow war veterans.
Was he frank at that time in adopting jihad?
He operated secretly in Algiers. He preached in many mosques and called on Islamists to be unified and organize marches. In 1983, we were attacked and killed our brother Mokhtar. We were jailed.
How many individual from the family was jailed?
All the brothers: Mohamed, Mahmoud, Sid Ahmed, his nephews Djamel and Mustapha Kezadri, his brothers-in-law Mohamed and Sid Ali Hidoussi and others. His house was watched.
We were sentenced in 1985. Most of us were acquitted but we were sentenced to 9 months in prison.
What were you charged on and were you sentenced?
I was sentenced to 5 years in prison because I was with Mustapha in the security checkpoint operation.
Shortly after he run away, I accompanied him and tried to avoid clashes with authorities because he had a gun going back to the liberation war. One night, we were on our way back and we found a checkpoint in Ben Aknoun. The gendarmes asked us about the car documents. The driver told them: “we are your colleagues in defense sector.”
Mustapha was about to go out from the car. At the same time, a gendarme shot and Mustapha shot him back. It was the first and the last time my brother opened fire.
The three of us stayed with the gendarmes. Suddenly, they raised their hands and started making military movements. Fifteen minutes later, the capital was surrounded by security forces and checkpoints were set up everywhere. We left the car and went into agricultural lands.
How were you arrested?
It was a sad story. My wife was ill. So, his father took her to his home. I went to see her and spent the night there.
Security forces searched my house every day. They asked about me. Mokhtar told them I was in the house of my wife’s family because she was ill. The house was surrounded, I was arrested and jailed.
How was your brother Mustapha killed?
My brother Mokhtar worked at a company in Bab El Oued in Algiers. The National Gendarmerie called him and asked him to help them to find Mustapha. Mokhtar accepted to try to convince Mustapha to come back to his family.
I understand that the whole family was against violence.
We could not say to Mustapha: “we are against you” because he was a war veteran. We organized a secret meeting between him and officers at the National Gendarmerie. Believe me, Mustapha had talked for two hours and they did not utter a word except one of them.
Mokhtar accepted to work for the National Gendarmerie. Important personalities coordinated with him. Now, they hold senior positions.
They talked to us one by one and Chenoufi was the General in charge of the issue.
After a deal was made between Mokhtar and the National Gendarmerie to meet Mustapha, policemen came to Mokhtar and asked him to go with them. He refused that and told them about his deal with the National Gendarmerie. Yet, they convinced him to go with them but he asked to go first to the closest National Gendarmerie station to inform them. On their way, a man went out from a car and shot Mokhtar.
How were you sure that they were policemen?
His son was with him. He went with them into the car. When they killed his father, he was taken to Bouzereah in Algiers where he was questioned.
Did you call for investigation in the murder of your brother?
We called for investigation but authorities did not open any investigation. Mokhtar was an Algerian citizen and a war veteran. He used arms only against the French occupation. He was older than Mustapha.
Do you want to make a plea to authorities?
On behalf of Bouali family, I make a plea to President Bouteflika to open an investigation in the way my brother Mokhtar was killed.
What about Mustapha?
Mustapha did not open fire at all even in clashes with the National Gendarmerie and the police. One day, he caught some gendarmes but he did not hurt them. He did not harm anyone. He shot only one time to defend himself and the gendarme was wounded and did not die.
What were the family’s members charged on?
I attended the clash in the checkpoint in Ben Aknoun although I was not armed. My brothers were accused of inciting people against the State and arms possession. We were sentenced in 1985.
So, Mustapha did not attack anyone over 6 years on the run.
The National Gendarmerie wanted Mustapha to surrender. He avoided any clash with them.
Did Mustapha contact his family while he was on the run?
Mustapha kept touch with his family and visited his home. His relatives were concerned about him but he was courageous.
How long had he stayed in the mountain?
The first time, he had stayed there for 17 days since October 4th, 1981. The second time, he run away on April 28th, 1982 and was killed on January 4th, 1987.
Who helped him during that period?
During all those years, he did not shot anybody except the gendarme in the checkpoint. Mustapha did not keep away from the family.
Dodi Mohamed went to France where he works as Imam. It was him who convinced Mustapha to go to the mountain. He accused us of betrayal when we tried to convince Mustapha to leave the mountain.
Why did the State do that with Dodi Mohamed?
It did that to reward him. He changed his attitude and held senior positions.
Has h ever visited Algeria since he left?
He has not visited Algeria for 20 years. He has recently entered the country to attend funerals but he was caught in the airport because he was wanted. He was released, later on.
Did Mustapha contact personalities from the Islamic movement?
I was told that he contacted late Mahfoud Nahnah who did not like what Mustapha did. They agreed on another appointment but Nahnah did not come.
To be continued.
Erratum:
The man who pushed for using arms and was appointed as Imam in France was Dodi Mohamed Hadi and not Hamoudi Hadi as it was reported in the newspaper.
Sid Ahmed Bouali
