Maurice Laban (born October 1914 at

Biskra Biskra ( ar, بسكرة ; ; Latin Vescera) is the capital city of Biskra Province, Algeria. In 2007, its population was recorded as 307,987. Biskra is located in northeastern Algeria, about 248 miles (400 km) from Algiers, 71 miles (115&nbs ...

, died 5 June 1956 at Boudouane), a

pied-noir The ''Pieds-Noirs'' (; ; ''Pied-Noir''), are the people of French people, French and other White Africans of European ancestry, European descent who were born in Algeria during the French Algeria, period of French rule from 1830 to 1962; the v ...

, was a founding member of the

Algerian Communist Party The Algerian Communist Party (french: Parti Communiste Algérien; ar, الحزب الشيوعي الجزائري) was a communist party in Algeria. The PCA emerged in 1920 as an extension of the French Communist Party (PCF) and eventually beca ...

(PCA). In 1936, he joined the

International Brigades The International Brigades ( es, Brigadas Internacionales) were military units set up by the Communist International to assist the Popular Front government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. The organization existed f ...

to fight in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

. In the mid-1950s, he was a member of the

Combattants de la Libération Les Combattants de la Libération (CDL), also known as ''Le Maquis Rouge'', were a guerrilla group established by the Algerian Communist Party (PCA) after the outbreak of the Algerian War of Independence. The FLN did not welcome a rival on the s ...

, the guerrilla group established by the PCA after the outbreak of the

Algerian War The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...

. Along with Henri Maillot, another European member of the guerrilla group, he was among those killed when an informer betrayed their position to a unit of the French Army. The band were sighted near

Lamartine Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine (; 21 October 179028 February 1869), was a French author, poet, and statesman who was instrumental in the foundation of the Second Republic and the continuation of the Tricolore as the flag of France. ...

, east of Orléansville, an area which had not previously contained guerillas. They were pursued and attacked outside the Muslim village of Boudouane; seven members of the group were killed, among them Laban and Maillot.

References

1914 births 1956 deaths People from Biskra People of French Algeria Pieds-Noirs Algerian Communist Party politicians International Brigades personnel People of the Algerian War Algerian guerrillas killed in action French Anti-Francoists {{Algeria-politician-stub