Career
He played a key role in the organization of the independence struggle during the Algerian war. His influence was so great that he was known as "the architect of the revolution". He was also the architect of the Soummam conference Bejaia in 1956 and was very close to Frantz Fanon.
He was "super-political" and his murder was disturbing to many FLN members including President Boumédiène who, according to the book, A Savage War of Peace, kept the assassins out of his future Algerian government.
A few years after independence, he was reburied in his native village of Azouza in Tizi Ouzou Province.