For more than 60 years, one question has haunted historians, journalists and governments alike:
What really happened to Mehdi Ben Barka?
The Moroccan opposition leader disappeared in Paris in 1965, and his body was never found.
His disappearance became one of the biggest political mysteries of the 20th century.
But today…
The story is making headlines once again.
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Journalists Ronen Bergman and Stephen Smith have just received the Jean-Daniel Prize 2026 for their investigation « The Ben Barka Affair: The End of Secrets. »
Their book claims to reconstruct, in unprecedented detail, the events surrounding the disappearance of the famous Moroccan politician through years of research and previously inaccessible intelligence archives.
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According to their investigation, the operation allegedly involved multiple intelligence services and political actors during the Cold War, turning Ben Barka’s disappearance into an international affair that went far beyond Morocco and France.
For decades, countless theories circulated.
This book argues that many of those unanswered questions can finally be addressed through newly uncovered evidence.
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The work has been praised for combining historical investigation with literary storytelling, which earned it one of France’s most prestigious journalism awards.
Yet despite these new revelations, the subject remains deeply sensitive, and many aspects of the case continue to fuel debate among historians and political observers.
Because when intelligence services and state secrets collide…
The truth is rarely simple.
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More than sixty years later, the Ben Barka affair continues to fascinate new generations.
Not only because of what happened…
But because it reminds us how some mysteries can shape the history of entire nations.
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But here’s the real question…
Can a historical mystery ever be truly solved after six decades… or will some state secrets remain buried forever?
