Fez – Moroccans across the country mourn resistance-fighter icon Mohamed Bensaid Aït Idder, who passed away today at the age of 98, at the military hospital in Rabat.
Aït Idder was born in Chtouka Aït Baha under the yoke of colonization in 1925. Like many of his future resistance companions including Abderrahmane Youssoufi, Abdellah Ibrahim, and Fqih Basri, he studied at the famous Ibn Youssef high school in Marrakech, following in the footsteps of other great Moroccan nationalists.
As an active member of the National Liberation Army (ALN), he fought against the “Ecouvillon” operation, which was carried out by French troops in coordination with the Francoist army in Spanish Morocco to “restore order” and destroy the ALN.
He has also served as MP from 1984 to 2007, and co-founded the nationalist parties of Istiqlal, the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) and the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS), which significantly altered Morocco’s political landscape in 1998.
During his days at the Istiqlal party, Aït Idder participated in the creation of the National Union of Popular Forces (UNFP).
Aït Idder spent several years in exile in France, during which he maintained contact with the leader of Tanzim (organization clandestine), Mohamed Fqih Basri.
Among other feats, Aït Idder is known for having questioned the very powerful Minister of the Interior, Driss Basri, on the fate of the Tazmamart detainees.
In July 2015, King Mohammed VI decorated Aït Idder with the insignia of “Wissam Al Arch” (exceptional class).
In addition to the legacy he leaves behind in his service to Moroccan resistance and years of civil service, Aït Idder will also be remembered for his support of Palestinian resistance and Maghrebi unity.
His funeral will take place on Wednesday after the Al-Asr prayer at the Chouhada cemetery in Casablanca.
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