Combattants de la Libération
Encyclopedia
Les Combattants de la Libération (CDL), also known as Le Maquis Rouge, were a guerrilla group established by the
Algerian Communist Party
(PCA) after the outbreak of the Algerian War of Independence
.
The FLN
did not welcome a rival on the scene and its mistrust was heightened by memories of the participation of the Algerian Communist Party in the repression after the Setif
riot in 1945.
The FLN admitted members of the communist party into its ranks as individual members but would not countenance the existence of a separate guerrilla force.
The CDL was never a large group but did have both Muslim and European members. Abdelkader Guerroudj
, a Muslim, was a political officer who tried to establish a liaison between the organization and the FLN.
Three European members were Maurice Laban
, Fernand Iveton and Henri Maillot
.
In April 1956, Maillot, a PCA member, deserted the French army, taking with him to the CDL an important stock of arms and ammunition. Less than two months later, an informer gave away their location and the group was ambushed by a unit of French army, Maillot and Laban being killed; there are suspicions that the army was assisted by information leaked by the FLN. Less than a month later, on July 1, 1956 an agreement was signed, integrating the PCA and the CDL into the FLN.
Algerian Communist Party
Algerian Communist Party
The Algerian Communist Party was a communist party in Algeria. The PCA emerged in 1920 as an extension the French Communist Party and eventually became a separate entity in 1936 ....
(PCA) after the outbreak of the Algerian War of Independence
Algerian War of Independence
The Algerian War was a conflict between France and Algerian independence movements from 1954 to 1962, which led to Algeria's gaining its independence from France...
.
The FLN
National Liberation Front (Algeria)
The National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Algeria. It was set up on November 1, 1954 as a merger of other smaller groups, to obtain independence for Algeria from France.- Anticolonial struggle :...
did not welcome a rival on the scene and its mistrust was heightened by memories of the participation of the Algerian Communist Party in the repression after the Setif
Sétif
Sétif |Colonia]]) is a town in northeastern Algeria. It is the capital of Sétif Province and it has a population of 239,195 inhabitants as of the 1998 census. Setif is located to the east of Algiers and is the second most important Wilaya after the country's capital. It is 1,096 meters above sea...
riot in 1945.
The FLN admitted members of the communist party into its ranks as individual members but would not countenance the existence of a separate guerrilla force.
The CDL was never a large group but did have both Muslim and European members. Abdelkader Guerroudj
Abdelkader Guerroudj
Abdelkader Guerroudj, an Algerian, and his French wife, Jacqueline Guerroudj, were condemned to death in December 1957 as accomplices of Fernand Iveton, the only European who was guillotined for his part in the Algerian revolt...
, a Muslim, was a political officer who tried to establish a liaison between the organization and the FLN.
Three European members were Maurice Laban
Maurice Laban
Maurice Laban , a pied-noir, was a founding member of the Algerian Communist Party . In 1936, he joined the International Brigades to fight in the Spanish Civil War ....
, Fernand Iveton and Henri Maillot
Henri Maillot
Henri François Maillot was a pied noir member of the Algerian Communist Party and participated in the Algerian War. In 1956, Maillot deserted from his military unit, taking with him an important stock of arms and ammunition for the guerrillas...
.
In April 1956, Maillot, a PCA member, deserted the French army, taking with him to the CDL an important stock of arms and ammunition. Less than two months later, an informer gave away their location and the group was ambushed by a unit of French army, Maillot and Laban being killed; there are suspicions that the army was assisted by information leaked by the FLN. Less than a month later, on July 1, 1956 an agreement was signed, integrating the PCA and the CDL into the FLN.