Mustafa Bouyali

Who was Mustafa Bouyali?

Mustafa Bouyali was the leader of the Algerian Islamic Armed Movement, a guerrilla group based around Larbaa south of Algiers, from 1982 to 1987.

Born in 1940, Bouyali fought for the National Liberation Front in the Algerian War of Independence, becoming a captain. In the 63-65 period, he joined the maquis of the FFS, leading to his exclusion from the FLN. He later became an electrician, and had seven children. Near the end of the 1970s, he felt under the influence of imam Abdelhadi Doudi of the El-Achour Mosque, in the south of Algiers and began preaching at this Mosque in 1980.

In 1979, he formed the "Group for Defense against the Illicit", intended to pressure the government to adopt policies seen as reflecting Islamic values, such as implementation of the sharia. As his efforts failed, he began considering the possibility of an armed effort, and started stockpiling weapons from mid-1981. In April 1982, a confrontation occurred between his group and the police in which his brother Mokhtar was shot; this incident convinced him that violence was called for.

In July 1982, Bouyali took to the maquis, with significant support in local towns, particularly Larbaa. The "Group for Defense against the Illicit" announced its transformation into the Algerian Islamic Armed Movement. According to the government, it planned a variety of attacks, including the assassination of the Prime Minister, which were forestalled by the arrest of 23 of its members in mid-December. Further arrests were made in January 1983. However, Bouyali himself evaded the security forces, and fled abroad.