Mohammed Seddik Benyahia (January 30, 1932 - May 3, 1982) was an Algeria

Algeria

Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...

n politician

Politics

Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...

. Militant nationalist during the war in Algeria. After the independence he became the Minister of Information (1967–1971), Higher Education (1971–1977), Finance (1977–1979), and of Foreign Affairs (from 1979 till his death).

Early life

He was born on January 30, 1932 in Jijel

Jijel

Jijel is the capital of Jijel Province in northeastern Algeria. It is flanked by the Mediterranean Sea in the region of Corniche Jijelienne, and has an estimated population of 148,000 inhabitants .Jijel is the administrative and trade centre for a region specializing in cork processing, leather...

. During the Algerian war, he took an active part in the struggle for independence of his country. He was secretary general of the presidency of the provisional government of the Republic of Algeria (GPRA

GPRA

GPRA may refer to:*Government Performance and Results Act*Provisional Government of the Algerian Republic...

) and a member of the Algerian delegation in negotiations with the French government in Evian

Évian Accords

The Évian Accords comprise a treaty which was signed in 1962 in Évian-les-Bains, France by France and the F.L.N. . The Accords put an end to the Algerian War with a formal cease-fire proclaimed for March 19, and formalized the idea of cooperative exchange between the two countries...

 in 1962. He was responsible for chairing the meeting of CNRA in Tripoli (Libya) in 1962. After the independence of his country, he held the post of ambassador to Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

 and London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.

Ministries he held

• Minister of Information from 1967 to 1971, When he organized the first Pan-African Festival in 1968.
• Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research from 1971 to 1977.
• Minister of Finance from 1977 to 1979.
• Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1979 till his death.

Death

Mohammed Benyahia was the architect of the liberation of the American hostages held in Iran after the Iranian revolution

Iranian Revolution

The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...

 in 1979. In 1981, he was the victim of a serious plane crash in Mali

Mali

Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...

 which has caused significant injuries and was forced to rest for several months. He was accompanied by his collaborator, Abdelwahab Abada, director of African affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA

MFA

MFA may refer to:An academic degree or professional field:* Masters of Finance and Accounting* Master of Financial Analysis* Master of Fine Arts* Material Flow Accounting* Material Flow AnalysisA concept or phrase:* Made For Ads...

), also living out of the accident. But he would not survive another plane crash occurring less than a year after leading a peace mission between Iran and Iraq. Mohammed Seddik Benyahia died above the border between Iran and Turkey on 3 May 1982 alongside with a delegation of MFA composed of 14 executives, his plane was shot down by fighter jets. Both Iran and Iraq rejected responsibility.