Benali Boudghène

Colonel Lotfi

Dghine Benali
Native name
بن علي دغين بودغن
Other name(s)Colonel Lotfi, Si Brahim
Nickname(s)Colonel Lotfi
Born(1934-05-05)May 5, 1934
Tlemcen, French Algeria
(present-day Algeria)
DiedMarch 27, 1960(1960-03-27) (aged 25)
Béchar, French Algeria
Buried
El Alia Cemetery
Years of service1954–1960
RankColonel
Battles / warsAlgerian War

Benali Dghine Boudghene (Arabic: بن علي دغين بودغن; May 5, 1934 – March 27, 1960), commonly known as Colonel Lotfi,[1] was born on 5 May 1934 in Tlemcen in Algeria.[2] Benali was an Algerian leader in the Algerian War, organising the Wilaya V from 1958 to 1960. He first worked as a Political leader with the National Liberation Front then moved to fighting in battlefield; he was killed in Béchar by French troops in 1960 [3]

Biography

He was born on May 7, 1934, in Tlemcen in western Algeria.[4]

Joining the Liberation Front

He joined the National Liberation Front at an early age, and he could handle all the responsibilities as a young member very well and had a good reputation among other members until he decided to move to fight in the battlefield.

FLN-ALN identity card of Colonel Lotfi, issued in 1958.

Death

Colonel Lotfi died in battle against French troops on March 27, 1960, two years before independence in a mountain in eastern Béchar.

Legacy

He is considered a national hero in Algeria. The airport of Béchar, Boudghene Ben Ali Lotfi Airport was named after him. A movie was produced with the name of "Lotfi" narrating his story and struggle against French rule in Algeria. In Oran one of the biggest streets in the city has his name;[5] a high school there is named after him.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Mohamed Sifaoui (2014-03-20). Histoire secrète de l'Algérie indépendante: L'État-DRS. Nouveau Monde éditions. pp. 36–. ISBN 978-2-36583-929-7.
  2. ^ Benjamin Stora; Renaud de Rochebrune (2016-10-13). La guerre d'Algérie vue par les Algériens (Tome 2) - De la bataille d'Alger à l'indépendance. Editions Denoël. pp. 123–. ISBN 978-2-207-11193-2.
  3. ^ Achour Cheurfi (2004). La révolution algérienne (1954-1962): Dictionnaire biographique. Casbah éditions. ISBN 978-9961-64-478-2.
  4. ^ El-Moudjahid. Le Front. 1962. p. 452.
  5. ^ Akid Lotfi : un pôle d'attraction Oran, El Watan du 31/07/2013.
  6. ^ Près d'un millier d'absents et des évanouissements... : Oran, Horizons du 03/06/2013