Algeria's first president Ben Bella dies

The first president of independent Algeria, Ahmed Ben Bella, died Wednesday in Algiers at the age of 95, state news agency APS reported, citing members of his inner circle. Ben Bella, who had been released from a military hospital on February 23 after being admitted for tests, died at his family home in the capital, APS said.
He was Algeria's president from its independence in 1962 to 1965, when he was overthrown by his defence minister, Houari Boumediene, a close ally of current President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Ben Bella had since 2007 chaired the African Union's panel of experts tasked with advising the AU's peace and security council on conflict prevention and resolution.