The urgent imperative to counter French colonial propaganda and the defense of the supreme objectives of our Liberation struggle on an international scale were the most significant and prominent reasons for resorting to a broad, uncompromising, tenacious, persevering, and particularly active and effective diplomatic action, given the context, stakes, and challenges to be addressed.
Elevated by the presence of the first secretary of the Indonesian embassy and the representative of the Palestinian embassy in Algiers, the various speakers at yesterday’s El Moudjahid Forum, organized in collaboration with the Machaâl Echahid association, unanimously emphasized the undeniable contribution of our diplomats mobilized on a vital front for the victory of our Revolution. Historian Ameur R’khila notably highlighted that this diplomacy was not composed of seasoned diplomats from prestigious schools but of militants driven by unwavering patriotism. It was necessary to mount a vigorous, convincing, and well-argued response to the narratives of French leaders who sought to discredit the Algerian people’s struggle and dismantle the fallacious theses of an Algerian nation and a country that supposedly never existed. This work was carried out with a heightened sense of patriotism by the late Hocine Aït Ahmed and M’Hamed Yazid, among other diplomats, to whom the audience paid heartfelt tribute. During the famous Bandung Conference in Indonesia, held on April 17, 1955, the Algerian delegation acted with insight, securing recognition of the FLN as the sole and legitimate representative of the Algerian people. Our guest noted that this large gathering, composed of 29 states and approximately 600 delegates, constituted the founding act of the diplomacy of a nation in arms. The voice of fighting Algeria resonated before the world, earning widespread international support for our struggle. Ameur R’khila pointed out that from 1955 to 1960, the Algerian question was ever-present in the proceedings of the United Nations General Assembly. He also emphasized that the demonstrations of December 11, 1960, are considered a historic event due to the strength of the popular cohesion of Algerians who took to the streets in Algiers and other Algerian cities, categorically rejecting General de Gaulle’s plans. The Algerian people magnificently proved that the Algerian Revolution belonged to a people who refused all forms of compromise. On the international stage, these brutally repressed demonstrations reaffirmed absolute and unwavering support for the National Liberation Front, and the UN included the Algerian question in its various agendas. In conclusion, one can only recall the words of Réda Malek, former diplomat and director of El Moudjahid from 1957 to 1962: “The FLN intensely experienced the adage: only the truth is revolutionary; there is no need to mask reality; it is on our side.”
