Mostefa Ben Boulaïd

Mostefa Ben Boulaïd (5 February 1917 – 22 March 1956) was an Algerian revolutionary leader and military commander. Widely recognized as the "Father of the Algerian Revolution", he was a founding member of the National Liberation Front (FLN) in 1954 and commanded the Aurès zone (Wilaya I) at the beginning of the Algerian War.

Early life and World War II Mostefa Ben Boulaïd was born on 5 February 1917 in Inerkeb, a village in Arris, Batna Province, Algeria. He came from a Berberophone (Chaoui) family belonging to the Touaba (Ouled Daoud) tribe, a prominent group in the Aurès massif. His tomb is located in Nara, near Arris in the Batna wilaya.

Legacy Ben Boulaïd is universally regarded as a towering national hero in Algeria. Monuments, streets, and institutions across the country bear his name. Busts of Ben Boulaïd stand in the main squares of Batna and Arris. The airport in Batna is named Mostefa Ben Boulaïd Airport, and the University of Batna 2 is named Mostefa Ben Boulaïd University.

His image is also featured on the 2000 Algerian dinar banknote alongside the other historic leaders, symbolizing their unified leadership during the revolution. In 2008, his life was the subject of the biographical film Mostefa Ben Boulaïd, directed by Ahmed Rachedi.