REMARKS ON THE ALGERIAN REVOLUTION
In our last issue [January 3], we called attention to Chinese Premier Chou En=-lai's speech at a meeting of cadres of the FLN [Front de Libération Nationale} in Algiers December 25, Here are some additional extracts of special interest from this speech as translated . from El Moudjahid [December 28], official weekly organ of the FLN:
"Correct revolutionary leadership, a broad united front and a revolutionary army -- these are the elements that are important, not only for the victory of the national democratic revolution, but also for the continued development of the revolution...
"The Algerian people, long tested in the revolutionary struggle,
understand well that the winning of independence is not the end of the. revolution but the beginning of a new struggle. Independent Algeria: finds herself still facing arduous tasks, such as safeguarding and consolidating political » independence, liquidating the colonialist forces, applying the agrarian reform and other social reforms, and . developing the economy and the national culture.
"We are happy to see that under the leadership of President Ben : | Bella and the FLN, the Algerian people, solidly united, are conducting an inflexible struggle against the various plots of sabotage hatched by the colonialists, triumphantly carrying forward the revolution, ‘and have decided ta take the road of socialism in order to carry out the glorious historic tasks I have mentioned.”
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"The victory of the Algerian revolution and its continuous. development today exercise constantly increasing influence on the anti-imperialist revolutionary struggle. of all the oppressed peaples and nations and, in particular, on the national liberation mavement. . in Africa, Just as the flag of the Cuban revolution floats over Latin America, so that of the Algerian revolution haa been planted on the African continent.
“Since the Algerian people unleashed the armed insurrection in 1954, enormous changes have occurred in Africa and the flames of the national liberation struggle | embrace the whole continent. . Among the fifty odd countries and regions of Africa, there are already more than thirty independent countries, including more than eighty percent of. the African population and more than eighty percent of the area of Africa. And in the countries and regions still under colonial domina~ tion, the struggle for national independence is increasing in impetus, The African people have decided to make the revolution, to become master of Africa and to finish with imperialism, colonialism and neo~# colonialism, Africa, it is absolutely sure, will become an indepen-— dent and free Africa. This is a great historical current which no reactionary force can dam.
"The rise of three hundred million Africans and the inevitable disintegration of the colonial system of imperialism in Africa, these are events of great historic import in our epoch, The revolutionary peoples of Africa, together with the revolutionary peoples of Asia and. Latin America are playing a more and more important role in the evolution of the international situation and are becoming.a powerful force in the struggle against imperialism and for the defense of world peace.
"While giving full consideration to the importance of the big victories won by the national liberation movement, one must also under-= stand that imperialism always remains imperialism and that it will never retire of its own volition from the historical scene. The old colonialists ere still struggling in their death agony. They turn from armed repression, in trying to maintain their colonial domination, to trickery in order to try to transform the independence of the newborn countries into an independence more of name than of fact, even
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into an independence void of meaning, And the neocolonialists, while supporting the old colonialists in their repression of the national - independence movement, disguise themselves as .'!friends! of the: oppres= sed nations in order to intensify their infiltration and expansion in the newly independent countries. . The struggle against imperialism, colonialism and neocolonialism therefore remains the task of imperi-~ ous primary importance confronting the peoples of Africa, Asia and Latin America,
"The peoples of Asia and Africa have learned through revolutionary practice that to conquer, safeguard and consolidate national independence, they must count above all on their own struggle. ~All the | evidence shows that the popular revolution of each country can be undertaken only by the people of each country and no one can replace them, Any foreign interference is intolerable. Aid from abroad is important, but it is up to only the peoples themselves to make. the .. decisive countribution to the victory of the revolution in their respective countries,
"Imperialism is the common enemy of the peoples of the entire world, To win their common cause, the peoples support each other and give mutual aid, In particular, the countries where the revolution has already triumphed have the sacred duty of supporting and aiding their brother peoples who are struggling heroically for independence and liberation, President Ahmed Ben Bella has said: ‘No Algerian can feel completely free while in Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, ~ our. brothers; the African patriots, Face colonial repression... ! These words of President Ben Bella express the firm will of the revolutionary peoples to unite in struggle against the common enemy,"
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