Houari Boumediene (23 August 1932-27 December 1978) was President of Algeria from 19 June 1965 to 27 December 1978, succeeding Ahmed Ben Bella and preceding Rabah Bitat.
Biography[]
Houari Boumediene was born on 23 August 1932 in Heliopolis, Guelma Province, French Algeria to a family of Sunni Muslim Berbers. He joined the FLN during the Algerian War, reaching the rank of Colonel and becoming Chief-of-Staff of the FLN's military wing in 1960. After the war's end, he became a powerful figure in the government of Algeria, and in 1965 he led a bloodless coup against his close friend Ahmed Ben Bella after he alientated his supporters with his autocracy. Boumediene became Chairman of the Revolutionary Council on 19 June 1965, acting in this role until 10 December 1976. In 1971 he nationalized the oil industry of Algeria and oil prices soared in 1973, angering other nations, especially France. Under his rule, Algeria became a member of the Non-Aligned Movement, and it supported anti-colonial groups like SWAPO, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and African National Congress. In 1975 he pledged his support for Western Sahara's independence, and he allowed for Sahrawi refugees and the Polisario Front to have bases in Algeria. In 1978 he died of a coma, ending his term as President. Rabah Bitat succeeded him as President on his death.