Historical Dictionary of Terrorism Third Edition

474 • NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT OF ALGERIAgroup imported into Bolivia rather than a true domestic phenomenon.In this case, the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement appearsto be the primary sponsor of the ELN. On 10 October 1990, the23rd anniversary of the announcement of Che Guevara’s death, theNestor Paz Zamora group bombed the U.S. embassy Marine Guardresidence in La Paz. Numerous threats were made against the U.S.embassy through 1991 in the name of the ELN, while a fake bombwas found in an elevator in the U.S. embassy in April 1991. Since1993 this group has remained inactive.NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT OF ALGERIA (FLN). TheFront de Libération Nationale is an Algerian nationalist party thatengaged in guerrilla warfare and terrorist attacks on the French colonialgovernment to obtain independence for Algerian Arabs. Foundedon 1 November 1954, the FLN fought an urban guerrilla terroristcampaign in Algiers and also dominated large areas outside the cities.The FLN also conducted assassinations of procolonial AlgerianArabs and a bombing campaign within France during August–September 1958. Egypt and Syria provided funds and arms, whileTunisia and Morocco provided sanctuaries and bases after thosestates achieved independence in 1956.France reacted to FLN activities with massive reprisals and systematictorture of Arab suspects, which further alienated AlgerianArabs from colonial rule. About 1,200 FLN urban guerrillas contestedFrench control of Algiers in the battle of Algiers for the first eightmonths of 1957. The French crushed this insurrection ruthlessly, butat the cost of alienating the noncombatant Arab population. By 1958some 87,000 Algerians, 10,000 of them noncombatants, had beenkilled as opposed to 8,700 French, of whom 1,500 were civilians.After assuming power, President Charles de Gaulle decided in 1959to hold negotiations with the FLN to grant Algerian Arabs self-ruleand eventual independence. This prompted a strong reaction from theFrench settlers in Algeria and certain military officers, who formedthe Organisation de l’Armée Secrète (OAS), or Secret Army Organization,which terrorized both Arab Algerians and the French governmentwith bombings and assassinations in France and Algeria.France agreed on 5 July 1962 to put Algerian independence to areferendum vote in September 1962, in which 91 percent voted forindependence. The FLN became the single official state party. Inter-