Mohamed Mediène
Mohamed Mediène | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mohammed Lamine Mediène Le Zouave |
| Nickname(s) | Zouave |
| Born | 14 May 1936 Guenzet, Algeria |
| Allegiance | Algeria |
| Branch | Algerian People's Army |
| Years of service | 1961–2015 |
| Rank | Général de corps d'armée |
General Mohamed Mediène (Arabic: الجنرال محمد مدين), also known as Toufik (توفيق) and Le Zouave is an Algerian intelligence officer who formerly served as head of the country's secret services, the Intelligence and Security Department (Département du renseignement et de la sécurité, DRS), from 1990 to 2015. He was described as the world's longest serving "intelligence chief".
He was born in 1936 to a kabyle (Zouave) family from Guenzet (Sétif Province), but grew up near Algiers at Saint-Eugene (Bologhine). He joined the National Liberation Army in 1961, a few months before Algeria's independence. He was an enlisted officer in the NLA.