Treachery last week ended the short-lived revolt of Colonel Mohammed Chaabani, 32. Guided by informers to an oasis where Chaabani and 87 followers were resting, government troops surrounded the overconfident rebels and forced them to surrender without firing a shot. It was one up for Ahmed ben Bella, Algeria's harassed Premier and President, who clings uneasily to control of his ragtag nation.
Arrests, dismissals and resignations were becoming a habit; hardly a day went by without some new police swoop. One victim was Abderrahmane Fares, a foe of the regime, who was interim President when Ben Bella first came to...
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