Mustafa Ben Halim

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Mustafa Ben Halim
مصطفى أحمد بن حليم
Prime Minister of Libya
In office
12 April 1954 – 25 May 1957
Preceded by Muhammad Sakizli
Succeeded by Abdul Majid Kubar
Personal details
Born (1921-01-29) 29 January 1921
Alexandria, Egypt

Mustafa Ahmed Ben Halim (Arabic: مصطفى احمد بن حليم‎) (born 29 January 1921) was the Prime minister of Libya from 12 April 1954 to 25 May 1957.[1]

Ben Halim was born in exile on 29 January 1921 in Alexandria, Egypt. He graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering from the Egyptian University in Alexandria in 1943. He returned to Libya in 1950 to help with the reconstruction of the country after the war. He was appointed Minister of Public Works in Libya's first government in 1953. Appointed Prime Minister in 1954 until 1957. Ben Halim was the Private Councilor to the King of Libya from 1957 to 1958. He was the Libyan Ambassador to France from 1958 to 1960. He left Public service in 1960 to start his own construction business. He was away during the 1969 coup, and was unable to return to Libya. He briefly settled in Beirut, Lebanon in 1970 to pursue new business ventures. He was a victim of a failed kidnapping attempt by mercenaries hired by Gaddhafi. He then moved to London in 1973. In 1980, and was appointed Personal Councilor to then Crown Prince Fahd bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia.

Ben Halim is the last surviving of the Kingdom of Libya's premiers, and the only one of them who survived the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Notable Awards & Recognition

The Benhalim family is one of the three richest families in Libya.

The Benhalim family had also given an estimate of $10 million for charity during the Libyan revolution.

He was one of the main supporters of Ahmed ben Bella, leader of the Algerian Freedom movement, against French Occupation.

He founded the University of Libya.

He founded the Central Bank of Libya.

After his resignation from government, tried to move Libya towards a more open Democracy.

He led the drafting of Petroleum laws in Libya.

He has written two books on the history of Libya, which are being republished in Arabic and English. ( "Libya: The years of Hope")

His son, Tarek Mustafa Ben-Halim, went back to Libya in 2005/6 to support Saif al-Islam Gaddafi in his attempts to bring about political reform. Tarek then resigned in 2008, as he was very disenchanted with the lack of true intent to reform. Tarek died in December 2009.

Tarek Ben Halim

Tarek Ben Halim is the second son of Mustafa Ben Halim. After a successful career in investment banking, he founded Alfanar, the Arab region's first venture philanthropy organisation, in 2004.

Literature

  • Libya: The Years of Hope - The Memoirs of Mustafa Ahmed Ben-Halim - Former Prime Minister of Libya, ISBN 0-9532961-0-5
  • Libya: The Years of Hope - The Memoirs of Mustafa Ahmed Ben-Halim - Former Prime Minister of Libya, ISBN 0-9532961-1-3

Memoirs

References

  1. ↑ Ronald Bruce St. John (2002). Libya and the United States: two centuries of strife. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-8122-3672-9. 
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