Saadi Yacef (; 20 January 1928 – 10 September 2021) was an Algerian independence fighter, serving as a leader of the National Liberation Front during his country's

war of independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence. List See also * Lists of active separatist movements * List of civil wars * List o ...

. He was a Senator in Algeria's

Council of the Nation The Council of the Nation ( ar, مجلس الأمة, Majlis al-Ummah) is the upper house of the Algerian Parliament. It is composed of 144 members, 2/3 of which are elected indirectly and 1/3 of which are appointed by the president of Algeria. ...

until his death.

Biography

Yacef was born in Algiers. The son of parents from the Algerian region of

Kabylia Kabylia ('' Kabyle: Tamurt n Leqbayel'' or ''Iqbayliyen'', meaning "Land of Kabyles", '','' meaning "Land of the Tribes") is a cultural, natural and historical region Historical regions (or historical areas) are geographical regions which ...

, he started his working life as an apprentice baker. In 1945, he joined the Parti du Peuple Algérien, a nationalist party which the French authorities soon outlawed, after which it was reconstituted as the Mouvement pour le Triomphe des Libertes Democratiques (MTLD). From 1947 to 1949, Yacef served in the MTLD's paramilitary wing, the Organisation Secrete. After the OS was broken up, Yacef moved to France and lived there until 1952, when he returned to Algeria to work again as a baker. Yacef joined the FLN at the start of the Algerian War in 1954. By May 1956, he was the FLN's military chief of the Zone Autonome d'Alger (Autonomous Zone of Algiers), making him one of the leaders on the Algerian side in the Battle of Algiers. He was captured by French troops on 24 September 1957 and eventually sentenced to death. General Paul Aussaresses later asserted that while in custody, Yacef betrayed the FLN and the Algerian cause by providing the

French army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

with the location of Ali la Pointe, another leading FLN commander.Aussaresses, Paul (2005). ''The Battle of the Casbah: Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism in Algeria 1955–1957''. New York, Enigma Books. p. 162. . Yacef denied it, and historian

Darius Rejali Darius Rejali (born c. 1959) is an Iranian-born American academic specialized on torture, who teaches political science at Reed College. Biography Rejali obtained a Bachelor of Arts at Swarthmore College in 1981, a master in 1983, and a PhD in p ...

considers the accusation as highly suspect. He was ultimately pardoned by the French government after Charles de Gaulle's 1958 return to power. Yacef claimed to have written his memoirs of the battle in prison The writings were published in 1962 as ''Souvenirs de la Bataille d'Alger''. After the Algerian War, Yacef helped produce Italian filmmaker

Gillo Pontecorvo Gilberto Pontecorvo (; 19 November 1919 – 12 October 2006) was an Italian filmmaker associated with the political cinema movement of the 1960s and 1970s. He is best known for directing the landmark war docudrama ''The Battle of Algiers'' (19 ...

's film ''

The Battle of Algiers ar, Maʿrakat al-Jazāʾir , director = Gillo Pontecorvo , producer = Antonio MusuSaadi Yacef , writer = Franco Solinas , story = Franco SolinasGillo Pontecorvo , starring = Jean MartinSaadi YacefBrahim H ...

'' (1966), based on ''Souvenirs de la Bataille d'Alger''. Yacef played a character modeled on his own experiences in the battle. Yacef died on 10 September 2021, aged 93, in Algiers. His daughter Zaphira Yacef stated that he had been suffering from heart problems before his death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yacef, Saadi 1928 births 2021 deaths People from Algiers Members of the Council of the Nation Bakers Algerian guerrillas Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties politicians Algerian People's Party politicians National Liberation Front (Algeria) politicians Algerian prisoners sentenced to death Prisoners sentenced to death by France 21st-century Algerian people Recipients of French presidential pardons