Comandant Azzedine

Commander Azzedine, nom de guerre of Rabah Zerari, is a former officer who served in the National Liberation Army during the Algerian War. He was the head of the zonal company "Commando Ali Khodja" which fought in Wilaya IV against the Black Commandos of General Jacques Pâris de Bollardière and the 3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment of Marcel Bigeard.

Biography

Early life Zerari was born on August 8, 1934, in Béjaïa. His father left him at the age of three, so he was raised by his older brother Said. An activist in the Algerian People's Party, his patriotism was emboldened after witnessing the Setif, Guelma and Kherrata massacres. In his 20s, he worked as an arc welder at Caterpillar Inc. in Algiers for a monthly salary of 18000 francs. Like many Algerians, he had heard about the Toussaint Rouge and was following the clashes in Aurès.

Algerian War In February 1955, he was contacted by an activist from Clos-Salembier, Abderrahmane Lahla, who asked him to participate in the revolution. Initially, Zerari was asked to contribute 5,000 francs per month; dreaming of doing something bigger, he decided to attack the safe of the Caterpillar factory. He was interrupted by Frenchmen armed with hunting rifles, he fled but ws hit by a bullet in the calf. He fled to maquis of Algerian revolutionaries, and was trained by Amar Ouamrane.

In the summer of 1955, Zerari changed his name to Si Azzedine and was appointed the ALN leader of the Zbarbar sector, near Lakhdaria. He was noted for his initiative in collecting FLN donations and organizing raids. Azzedine was arrested on July 14, 1956, following a desperate battle where his unit was surrounded and Azzedine himself was seriously injured. He experienced harsh conditions in Tablat prison, but escaped that October with 13 prisoners. Azzedine was captured again by the 3rd RPC in November 1958.

Azzedine pretended to accept the Peace of the Brave, and was received as a soldier by General Jacques Massu.

During the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Évian Accords, Azzedine said "The summer crisis of 1962 was the start of all our woes, independence began with a coup." Regarding the historiography of the Algerian war, he said "They want to write it with an eraser, not a pen."

In February 2015, he was sentenced by the court in Chéraga for issuing bad checks. He was sentenced to two years in prison along with his son-in-law.

In his book Pour une parcelle de gloire, General de Bollardiere praised Commander Azzedine, lending credence to why the two shook hands on French television.