Peace does not include a vendetta; there will be neither winners nor losers.
AHMED BEN BELLAPeace does not include a vendetta; there will be neither winners nor losers.
AHMED BEN BELLAAlgeria was therefore only the beginning of something that was in development: this is why I say that it’s the global capitalist system that finally reacted against us.
AHMED BEN BELLAI am the son of poor peasants who came at a very young age to live in Algeria. I only recently saw the place where they were born, near the city of Marrakech.
AHMED BEN BELLAEverywhere that the struggle for national freedom has triumphed, once the authorities agreed, there were military coups d’etat that overthrew their leaders. That is the result time and time again.
AHMED BEN BELLAYes, I am Algerian of Moroccan origin through my parents, but all my life is Algeria. I was born there.
AHMED BEN BELLAIt is obvious that taking the country from a state of war to being a lawful state won’t be easy.
AHMED BEN BELLAThe liberation movement which I led in Algeria, the organization that I created to fight the French army, was at first a small movement of nothing at all.
AHMED BEN BELLAI’m optimistic because I’m pragmatic: Neither of the two sides, the military government nor the Islamic front, is capable of winning. If they continue to fight, they will both bleed to death.
AHMED BEN BELLAI can say now: all the combatants who participated in the fight for freedom in South America came to Algeria; it’s from there that all those who fought left.
AHMED BEN BELLALet us all agree to die a little, or even completely so that African unity may not be a vain word
AHMED BEN BELLAIn two years, there were 22 military coups d’etat, essentially in Africa and the third world. The coup d’etat of Algiers, in 1965, is what opened the path.
AHMED BEN BELLAWe trained them, we arranged for the weapons to reach them, we created networks.
AHMED BEN BELLAI’m 90 years old now, and my motivation hasn’t changed; it’s the same fervour that drives me.
AHMED BEN BELLAColonialism is known in its primitive form, that is to say, by the permanent settling of repressive foreign powers, with an army, services, policies.
AHMED BEN BELLAAt that precise moment, several countries were still colonised or had barely overcome colonisation. This was the case in practically all of Africa. We supported them.
AHMED BEN BELLAMy life has been a bit special, this is true. I participated in the liberation of my country.
AHMED BEN BELLA