Algeria: The Quarreling Chiefs

Since it gained independence on July i, Algeria has been drifting out of control. Last week there were, in effect, two capitals: Algiers, precariously ruled by Premier Benyoussef Benkhedda, and Tlemcen, near Oran, held by Vice Premier ben Bella, whom his enthusiastic followers compare to the Congo's late rabble-rousing hero, Patrice Lumumba. In a desperate attempt to heal the split between the two factions, the military commanders of the six wilayas (zones) of Algeria met last week at the inland city of Orléansville, interrupting their talks only to take soundings in...

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