Mustafa Ben Halim


Mustafa Ahmed Ben Halim is a Libyan politician and businessman who served in a number of leadership positions in the Kingdom of Libya from 1953 to 1960. Ben Halim was the Prime Minister of Libya from 12 April 1954 to 25 May 1957. Through his political and private sector work, Ben Halim supported the development of the modern Libyan state. He became the world's oldest known living former state leader following the death of Hyun Soong-jong on May 25, 2020.

Early life

Ben Halim was born in exile in Alexandria, Egypt on 29 January 1921 where his Cyrenaican father sought refuge from the Italian occupation of Libya. He graduated with a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the Egyptian University of Alexandria in 1943.

The Libya Years

Ben Halim returned to Libya in 1950 to help with the reconstruction of the country following the Second World War and subsequent Allied occupation of Libya. He was appointed Minister of Public Works in Libya's first government in 1953. At the age of 33, he was appointed Prime Minister in 1954, a position he held until 1957. During his time as Prime Minister, Ben Halim supported the growth and development of modern-day Libya. He helped draft Libya's petroleum laws which ultimately led to the discovery of oil in 1959. Under his leadership, the Libyan oil sector was divided into a smaller number of concessions to support competition in the Libyan oil sector. Ben Halim also founded the University of Libya and the Central Bank of Libya.
As Prime Minister, Ben Halim prioritized building relationships and alliances with the West, notably Britain, the United States and France. Due to these relationships, Ben Halim was able to secure aid for Libya from Britain and the United States at a time of heightened Cold War tensions. During his time as Prime Minister, Ben Halim established a positive diplomatic relationship with the Soviet Union which ultimately led to Libya’s recognition at the United Nations which had been previously blocked by the USSR. In addition, Ben Halim collaborated closely with other Arab nations and neighboring countries, strengthening Libya’s geopolitical position. In 1957, Ben Halim resigned as Prime Minister due to a lack of commitment from King Idris to move Libya towards a more open democracy. Despite these differences, Ben Halim and King Idris remained close over the coming years.
From 1957–1958, Ben Halim served as the Private Councillor to the King of Libya. He was later appointed Libyan Ambassador to France from 1958 to 1960 during which time he helped negotiate the French/Algerian truce between the FLN and the French Government
Ben Halim returned to Tripoli and left public service in 1960 to start his own construction business. He set up the Libyan Company for Engineering and Construction with the US company Brown and Root, and then expanded to form a partnership with Bechtel. He further diversified his interests with other ventures in manufacturing and natural resources, including setting up the Libyan Company for Soap and Chemicals and the Libyan Gas Company which supplied all of Libya’s needs in nitrogen and oxygen. He diversified further into financials by co-founding the Bank of North Africa, a Libyan bank formed out of a joint venture with Morgan Guaranty and the British Bank of the Middle East of which he became Chairman of the Board.
Between 1964 and 1968, Ben Halim served as an informal advisor to King Idris on institutional reforms which were proposed during his term as Prime Minister. Due to ongoing political pressure from special interest groups, the reforms were not fully implemented. In 1969, Ben Halim was on a family holiday in Switzerland when Muammar Gaddafi staged the coup. After Gaddafi took power, Ben Halim was unable to return to Libya. Over the next 15 years, Ben Halim was tried in absentia by the “People’s Tribunal” for allegedly “corrupting political life”. Ben Halim was also wrongly accused of rigging the 1956 elections by the same committee.

Life In Exile and return

Unable to return to Libya, Ben Halim briefly settled in London where he and his family were granted political asylum. He then moved to Beirut, Lebanon in 1970 to pursue new business ventures, including helping Consolidated Contractors Company negotiate sub-contracting agreements with Bechtel Corporation, one of the largest civil engineering firms in the world. A failed kidnapping attempt by mercenaries hired by Gaddafi forced him to relocate the family to London in 1973. In the years that followed, there were several assassination attempts made on Ben Halim’s life which were foiled by British Intelligence
Ben Halim was granted Saudi nationality in 1975, six years after King Faisal of Saudi Arabia granted the Ben Halim family passports to allow them to travel and conduct business in Lebanon and the United Kingdom. In 1980, he 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 witnessed the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. After the fall of Gaddafi, Ben Halim returned to Libya after 42 years in exile. His homecoming was warmly received by the Libyan people. His house in Tripoli, which in 1969 was left in the custody of a sentry, was seized by the sentry who then claimed ownership of the property.

Family

Ben Halim is married to Yusra Kanaan. They have six children.
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