Mohammed Seddik Ben Yahia

Mohamed Seddik Benyahia
Born	January 30, 1932 37,Rue MONTAGNEMONT - Jijel
Died	May 03, 1982 Borders between Turkey and Iran
Nationality	Algerian
Occupation	politician, Militant nationalist
Political party	FLN
Parents	Father's name: Ferhat

Mohammed Seddik Benyahia (January 30, 1932 - May 3, 1982)^[1] was an Algerian politician. Militant nationalist during the war in Algeria. After the independence he became the Minister of Information (1967–1971), Higher Education (1971–1977), Finance (1977–1979), and of Foreign Affairs (from 1979 till his death).

Early life

He was born on January 30, 1932 in Jijel. During the Algerian war, he took an active part in the struggle for independence of his country. He was secretary general of the presidency of the provisional government of the Republic of Algeria (GPRA) and a member of the Algerian delegation in negotiations with the French government in Evian in 1962^[2]. He was responsible for chairing the meeting of CNRA in Tripoli (Libya) in 1962. After the independence of his country, he held the post of ambassador to Moscow and London.

Ministries he held

• Minister of Information from 1967 to 1971, When he organized the first Pan-African Festival in 1968.
• Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research from 1971 to 1977.
• Minister of Finance from 1977 to 1979.
• Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1979 till his death.^[3]

Death

Mohammed Benyahia was the architect of the liberation of the American hostages held in Iran after the Iranian revolution in 1979. In 1981, he was the victim of a serious plane crash in Mali which has caused significant injuries and was forced to rest for several months. He was accompanied by his collaborator, Abdelwahab Abada, director of African affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), also living out of the accident. But he would not survive another plane crash occurring less than a year after leading a peace mission between Iran and Iraq. Mohammed Seddik Benyahia died above the border between Iran and Turkey on 3 May 1982^[4] alongside with a delegation of MFA composed of 14 executives, his plane was shot down by fighter jets. Both Iran and Iraq rejected responsibility.

Notes

1. ^ Jijel.info-Biographie de Mohamed Seddik BENYAHIA
2. ^ same reference above
3. ^ From University of Jijel (Arabic)
4. ^ "Mission Awry". Time Magazine. 1982-05-17. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,921214,00.html?promoid=googlep. 

References

• http://www.univ-jijel.dz/seminaires/benyahia/bio_arab.htm(Arabic)

Persondata
Name	Ben Yahya, Mohammed Seddik
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	January 30, 1932
Place of birth	37,Rue MONTAGNEMONT - Jijel
Date of death	1982
Place of death	Borders between Turkey and Iran