War of Algeria: the "thousand others" Maurice Audin

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Algerian separatists shot dead by French soldiers, January 5, 1957 in Algiers. INTERCONTINENTAL / AFP

While recognizing the responsibility of the French state in the death of Maurice Audin, Emmanuel Macron also announced the opening of the French archives relating to the disappeared of the war in Algeria. A website was put online just after Emmanuel Macron's announcement: 1000autres.org. It lists the names of a thousand people missing since the Battle of Algiers.

The website has been named 1000other. Like a thousand other Maurice Audin , probably all arrested and tortured to death by the French army as was the mathematician and militant communist in 1957. For each missing, a name, a date of birth, a profession, a home, and than the day and place of arrest. For example, this record taken at random: that of Abdenor Khelifati, born March 16, 1932 in Boghari. Profession: prison guard. He was arrested on March 1, 1957 at 8:30 am at his place of work by the paratroopers. A comment adds to the note: "In case of discovery, inform Mrs BEN KAROUM Fatima ".

" It's a search post, it's amazing ! "Is surprised Fabrice Riceputi. This historian is at the origin of the discovery of an archive which served as a basis for the project 1000 others. A file that began being published in 1957 by the North African Link Service (SLNA): " He is the heir to what was called before 1946 ' native affairs'. He was politically monitoring French Muslims in French Algeria. "

White card to the army

On the occasion of the battle of Algiers, the French government gives carte blanche to the army to settle the situation on the spot. " When we deliver the city to paratroopers, SLNA finds itself idle. He does not have much to watch. So he is entrusted with this incredible task of collecting the complaints of the families of the people who were kidnapped by the army and then asking the French army to tell the prefecture what they did with the abducted people ", explains the historian.

On the occasion of research on the secretary general to the police of the prefecture of Algiers at the time, Paul Teitgen (who resigned in 1957 denouncing " war crimes " perpetrated by the army), that Fabrice Riceputi unearths the file in the fonds of the National Archives of Overseas, in Aix-en-Provence. It was however known at the time, but the prefecture denied access, since it was obviously the proof that the civil authority then controlled nothing in Algiers. " The size of the file partly demonstrated, in a very precise way, the practice of kidnapping that was favored by the military," says Fabrice Riceputi, who thinks that this file has never been consulted before. he falls on it.

Eight hundred and fifty names were extracted. Two other sources have added another 160, bringing to 1010 the number of missing persons identified today on 1000autres.org . This does not, however, represent the totality of the disappeared in the Algerian war - far from it - that is estimated at several thousand. It is to compensate for this lack that Emmanuel Macron announced the opening of all the archives relating to the disappeared.

"To advance the work of memory"

The fund is substantial, since the departments of Overseas, Armies, Interior and Foreign Affairs are concerned. These archives will be available to historians, but also to families and associations. By this step, the Head of State wants everyone to seize it, and " that the settlement of the Audin case allows to advance the work of memory ."

Fabrice Riceputi doubts, however, that access to these archives makes it possible to fill the gaping holes that remain in the identification of the disappeared: " The rule at the time was not to write anything compromising. The SLNA file was not made to list the missing. It was done to provide assistance to the victims of terror in Algiers in the political context of 1957. You had to seem to do something when people were talking to the préfecture. "

Many archives were also destroyed at the time: " On May 13, 1958, when the paratroopers took power in Algiers, they destroyed a very large amount of archives. For example, there is no longer any trace of the secretariat's archives to Paul Teitgen's police. Many documents, at the Ministry of Algeria, at the General Government or at the Prefecture of Algiers were also voluntarily destroyed by the paratroopers, to erase the evidence that had been collected by the traitor Teitgen as they called it. "

Finally, the last limit to the opening of these archives promised by Emmanuel Macron, will be available only documents relating to the missing. The Elysee believes that making all the documents concerning the Algerian war available would be too sensitive, given the number of people still alive who have known this period.