Remembering Ahmed Ben Bella, first President of independent Algeria who passed away on the 11th April, 2012 at 96
14 April 2012
Ahmed Ben Bella had spent more than 21 years of his life in jail: 6 years in French prisons (1956-1962) and 15 years after he was overthrown in Algeria on 19 June 1965 by a military coup led by Colonel Houari Boumedienne. I will straightaway recall some personal memories. Between 1994 and 2005 I met Ahmed Ben Bella on several occasions. The first time was in Geneva in 1994 at a lecture I had given on the issue of Third World debt. He spoke up from the audience without any ado, focusing on (...)