The extermination period 1958-1960
The stage of the genocidal war after 1958 AD
Over the years, the gains and victories of the Algerian revolution increased, and it was clear that the colonizer was unable to eliminate it. Moreover, the different French parties (army - government - centenarians - parties….) started blaming each other on the failure, and on May 13th 1958, the two Generals Salan and Massu conducted a movement of military coup d’état on the French government asking the authorities for the extradition of De Gaulle. Subsequently, the French parliament called the retired General and gave him authority on June 1st 1958, and De Gaulle required significant constitutional amendments that gave the president of the republic extensive authority, and so the fourth republic collapsed, and the fifth one was established.
One: The radical solutions “Eradicational”
It was based on two axes, one was the main one, and the other was the secondary or complementary, which are:
The axis of the genocidal war:
De Gaulle designated General Challe on December 12th 1958 as the chief of staff succeeding Salan, and decided to escalate the military procedures against Algerian people and their revolution using new infernal methods that corresponds, in addition to the strategy of the military policy that consisted of:
The establishment and application of the Challe scheme that included the conduction of widespread operations with the participation of major forces against selected zones to sweep and destroy its infrastructure. Subsequently, the operation makes its way and build immunizations to be put under full control, and this is how this stage experienced monstrous genocidal operations, including:
– The spark operation in Al-Hodna mountains in July 1959 AD.
– The telescope operation in Jurjura, from July to November 1959 AD.
– The gemstone operation in north Constantine in July 1959 AD.
– The marathon operation in April 1960 against the Tunisian territories under the pretext of striking the Liberation army units.
– Al-Mahas operation in the Daya mountains from April to May 1960 AD.
– The Prometheus operation in South Oran from May to September 1960 AD.
– The Zeer operation in Al-Wancharis from July to August 1960 AD.
Maintaining the encirclement of the Algerian borders with Tunisia and Morocco using electric and barbed wires to make the Challe line in parallel with the Maurice line on our East borders.
More control and oppression in the cities, bringing developed torturing machinery, and designating groups of paratroopers to control the capital.
Expanding the forbidden zones in the countryside, making the inhabitants live in concentration camps until their number reached 2.5 millions in 1969, and the escalation of the psychological warfare on them.
Trying to spread traitors among the ranks of the revolution.
Other actions, like poisoning the water, and trying to provide the Mujahideen with insidious tools like explosive ordnance to kill them. During this stage, many battles took place, most notably: The Akfadou battle ( October 15-17 1958), the Berouaqia battle (January 3rd 1959), and Mzi mountain (May 6th 1960), and where Amirouche and Al-Hawas became martyrs (March 28th 1959), and France exploded its first nuclear bomb in Rakan (February 13th 1960).
The axis of temptations and maneuvers: It manifested in:
Trying to establish a third force: France tried to establish a force with conventional and adverse characters of the revolution to be an opponent of the National Liberation front when representing the Algerian people.
The Constantine Project: During his second visit to Algeria (October 2nd-5th 1958) De Gaulle made a presentation aiming at absorbing the Algerians’ resentment, and picturing the revolution as if it started for financial reasons, and that providing employment and economic and social projects pushed the Algerians to abandon the revolution. The project included providing employment to 115 thousand Algerians, establishing habitation plus economic and social projects, in addition to selling lands to the Algerians on credit during five years (1959-1963).
Introducing the peace of the brave: It was on October 23rd 1958, and it stipulated the hand over of the Mujahideens’ weapons in exchange for pardoning them and recognizing the Algerian identity.
The project of the right to self-determination and the Algerian state:
On December 16th 1959, De Gaulle suggested this project that included choosing between a Algerian republic united with France, and a seperate republic, with dividing the north of Algeria into two zones, one belonging to the colonists (the rich zones are included), and the other for Muslims, but the desert would still belong to France.
Two: The stage of the realistic solutions:
Despite all what was generated from De Gaulle’s military policy from victims and vandalism, the revolution survived and the Algerians faced the infernal Challe plan with patience and faith, and the committed crimes did not weaken the Algerians will, instead it made the war’s consequences worse for France, then the French public opinion was concerned and was unable to tolerate any more sacrifices. Adding to that, the French extremists (especially the soldiers and the centenarians) were publically complaining about De Gaulle’s policy, therefore France was bifurcated between Algeria and the fifth republic that was in the jeopardy of collapsing, especially when the centenarians and a sector of the French army in Algeria led by “Massu” on January 24th 1960 rebelled due to De Gaulle’s recognition of the right of the Algerians to self-determination. Consequently, De Gaulle insulated “Massu” , confronted the insurgency, and killed 25 Europeans.
De Gaulle finally acquiesced to the negotiations and compromises
due to those developments, the International support of the revolution at the expense of the French position, the deterioration of the relationships between France and the Arab world, then the demonstrations of December 11th 1960, so the fourth stage of the revolution started, which is the stage of negotiations and independence.
Three: The strategy of the revolution when facing the tactics of De Gaulle
The revolution responded to De Gaulle’s policy, as it follows:
–Facing the Challe plan by the downsizing of the military units, and adopting the war of ambushes, and increasing the genocidal operations.
–Conducting a campaign on the Maurice line since 1958 AD, then later on the Challe line to stop France from strangling the revolution despite the losses caused by the campaign. In this regard, the battle of “Ain Al-zana” (North Souk Ahras) came from the 2nd to the 14th of July 1959 AD.
–Engage in armed action in France, i.e, to transfer the revolution into French territory.
–Announcing the establishment of the interim government of the Algerian republic from Cairo on September 19th 1958, to be the legal representative, official spokesman of the Algerian people, and the revolution’s leader politically and militarily. Its first president was “Farhat Abbas”, and it was composed of:
Karim Belkacem (vice president, and armed forces minister), Ben Bella (second vice président), Ait Ahmed, Rabah Bitat, Boudiaf, Khider (state ministers), Mohamed El-Amine Debaghine (External affairs minister), Mohamed Cherif (arms and supply affairs), Ben Tobal (Internal), Boussouf (public communications and intelligence), Ahmad Francis (economical and financial affairs), Taoufik Al-Madani (culture), Ben Khedda (social affairs), Mohammed Yazid (news), Mehri (the Maghreb affairs), Mustafa Intanbuli, Al-Amin Khan, Omar Seddik (secretry of state), besides the staff entity of the war, and a ministerial committee for the defense.
– The announcement of the interim government since November 1959 AD, of its approval to negotiate with France subject to the recognition of the Algerian identity, and preserving the Algerian territorial integrity including the desert, and on this matter, the manifestation of December 11th 1960 started under the slogan “independent united Algeria”.
