Boumédienne, Houari

Boumédienne, Houari (b. 23 Aug. 1927, d. 27 Dec. 1978). Chairman of the Revolutionary Council 1965–77, President of Algeria 1977–8 Born as Mohammed Bou Kharrouba in Guelma (eastern Algeria), he studied in Paris, Tunis, and Cairo, where he met Ben Bella. He joined his Front de Libération Nationale in 1955. In 1960, he became Chief of Staff of the Algerian government-in-exile, and in 1962 supported Ben Bella's accession to power. He became Minister of National Defence in 1962, but in 1965 led a coup against Ben Bella whose policies he considered too Western. He tried to create an industrial base to make his country economically more independent from France. To this end Boumédienne founded national industries and nationalized existing ones, such as the oil industry in 1971. Within the UN and the non-aligned movement he championed a new dialogue between the industrialized northern and the less developed southern countries of the world, with countries such as Algeria as a mediator. He gradually improved relations with France, though relations with Morocco deteriorated because of his substantial support of the Western Saharan independence movement, POLISARIO. He died in office.