Jacques Massu, 94; Former French General Regretted Use of Torture
Jacques Massu, 94, a retired general who led French forces to victory in the 1957 Battle of Algiers and later expressed regret for his part in torturing opponents in the independence war, died of undisclosed causes Saturday at his home in Conflans-sur-Loing, France.
Massu rose to military prominence during World War II, after following Gen. Charles de Gaulle’s call to resist the pro-Nazi Vichy government in France in June 1940. Before rising to the rank of general in 1955, Massu fought in Chad, Tunisia, Vietnam and other operations in the former French colonies across Africa and Asia.
Massu’s leading of French troops in the Battle of Algiers was a pivotal point in the war that ended with Algeria’s independence from France.
In an interview with Le Monde in 2000, Massu said he regretted the practice of torture and summary executions during the war.
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