Abbas Messaadi

Abbas Mesaadi
Personal details
Born	1925[1] Douar Ouled Ali Boumesaad, Taddart, Qiyadat Houara & Guercif, Morocco[1]
Died	27 June 1956[1] Fes
Resting place	Ajdir, Morocco
Occupation	Leader of the Moroccan Army of Liberation
Military service
Allegiance	Moroccan Army of Liberation
Rank	General

Mohamed ben Tahar ben Ali commonly known by his nom de guerre Abbas Messaadi (Arabic: عباس مساعدي‎‎; 1925–27 June 1956)^[1][2] was the leader of the Moroccan Army of Liberation before his controversial assassination in June 1956 that would ultimately trigger the Rif Revolt (1957-1959). He became known as "Messadi" because he was born in Douar Oulad Ali Boumsaad (أولاد علي بومساعد).

Abbas was running a military camp in Aknoul and was assassinated in Fes in June 1956 allegedly by Karim Hajjaj, a member of the Istiqlal party.^[3] His assassination was allegedly ordered by Mehdi Ben Barka.^[3]

He was first buried in Fes but in 1957 his remains were transferred to Ajdir, the stronghold of Mohamed ben Abdelkrim al-Khattabi, against the wishes of the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior then controlled by the Istiqlal party.^[2] When security forces were sent by the ministry to repatriate the body to Fes, this sparked clashes with the population in Ajdir which led to the Rif revolt.^[2]

His killing was the first in a series of assassinations directed against members of the Moroccan Army of liberation and other factions competing with the Istiqlal party and the Alaouite family

See also

• Mahjoubi Aherdane
• Abdelkrim al-Khatib

References

1. "- Dalil Rif - تحقيق : في زيارة لعائلة الشهيد عباس المسعدي". 26 June 2014. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
2. "شاهد على العصر - محمد سعيد آيت إدر - الجزء الثالث". Aljazeera. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
3. "L'assassinat de Messaâdi". Zamane. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2014.