President Bouteflika: “Aït Ahmed was an eminent historic personality with a humanitarian and political scope”

The President of the Republic, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, has sent a message of condolence to the family and relatives of the deceased, the Mujahid late Hocine Aït Ahmed, one of the eminent leaders of the glorious November 1st 1954 Revolution and decreed a an eight-day national mourning throughout the national territory, as from Friday, December 25, 2015.

In his condolence message, the President of the Republic, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, described “the deceased Hocine Aït Ahmed as one of the great men of Algeria, a prominent activist and an outstanding historic leader, a leader whose human values, finesse and unequaled political intelligence had illuminated a major part of the history of Algerian militancy and left their mark on the history of all the liberation movements across the world. “

“Historic leader of the national movement and the Algerian Revolution, the late Hocine Ait Ahmed joined, very young, the PPA then the MTLD revolutionary movements, where he quickly forged ahead by showing a lively and quick intelligence and a lot of sense, forcing the admiration and respect of his companions who joined him to fight his way on the path of national liberation, through reflection and the search for even better ways to fight against the colonial occupier”, President Bouteflika said in his message.

“This same occupier who persecuted, imprisoned and tortured him without denting his determination and will to defend the just nationalcause. He continued in the jails his fierce struggle, spurred

by an unshakable faith in the justice of its cause and heroic courage, until he miraculously managed to escape from the colonial jail,” wrote President Bouteflika.

“I will not forget his courage or bravery and charisma that marked the various events related to the history of Algeria, since he chaired the OS in a most dark period of time and his courageous positions and sound advice that enlightened the manifold meetings and international conferences, after his escape from the jails of the colonizer, the foundation of the office of the Maghreb where he had greatly helped publicize the Arab countries of North Africa, the hijacking by the French colonial army of the plane carrying him and his companions in an unprecedented piracy operation, the threat to the Algerian borders which he quickly dispelled by defending them with all his gear and his comrades in arms, in addition to his salient role within the GPRA of which he became a member while he was incarcerated and his big role in the political opposition, where he was an undisputed icon,” President Bouteflika added.

Meanwhile, the first National Secretary of the FFS Party, Nebbou Mohamed, confirmed that the deceased will be buried in his native town of Ain El-Hammam, in eastern Tizi Ouzou province, according to his last wishes.