The Libertarian Communist Union has learned of the death of Mohammed Harbi, who passed away on Thursday, January 1, 2026, at the age of 92. We pay tribute to the memory of an important anti-colonial activist. ---- Mohammed Harbi was a former member of the National Liberation Front (FLN) during the Algerian War. He was born on June 16, 1933, in El Harrouch near Skikda, Algeria, where he began his activism by becoming head of the high school section of the Movement for the Triumph of Democratic Liberties (MTLD).
With Marxist leanings, he joined the FLN's French branch shortly after arriving in mainland France in 1952. He became the FLN's ambassador to Guinea, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and an associate of Krim Belkacem, Vice-President of the Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic. He participated in the initial negotiations of the Évian Accords. An advisor to Ahmed Ben Bella after independence until Houari Boumédiène's coup in 1965, he spent several years in prison and under house arrest, from which he escaped to France in 1973.
He was close to the libertarian communist and anti-colonial activist Daniel Guérin. Guérin, who went to Algeria after independence as a pied-rouge (a movement bringing together revolutionary activists from France to help build socialism), published a report on Algerian self-management, produced thanks to his close collaboration with Mohammed Harbi. They remained close until Harbi's death in 1988.
In France, Mohammed Harbi was a professor of history at Paris-VIII Descartes and Diderot University, and produced significant historical work on the Algerian revolution, which remains a key reference at a time when those nostalgic for colonialism are making a comeback. The comrades of Alternative Libertaire (one of the UCL's parent organizations) were able to meet him one last time in 2018 at an event in Paris where he had been invited to speak, commemorating the 30th anniversary of Guérin's death.
Far from abandoning the anti-colonial struggle, Mohammed Harbi was a member of the Russell Tribunal for Palestine some fifteen years ago, alongside Stéphane Hessel. This tribunal produced a report demonstrating that Israel was guilty of apartheid crimes.
We honor the memory and the work of this fellow traveler of many comrades in our political movement. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. His struggle must continue to inspire us in our fight against colonialism and oppression!
Libertarian Communist Union
https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Hommage-A-la-memoire-de-Mohammed-Harbi
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Link: (en) France, UCL AL #368 - Spotlight - Tribute: In Memory of Mohammed Harbi (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]
Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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