President Raul Castro Honors Algerian Martyrs

Cuban President Raul Castro paid tribute on Sunday to the Martyrs of the Algerian Revolution at the monument in their honor in Algiers.

After inspecting the detachment of honor of the Republican Guard, the Cuban head of State laid a wreath at the foot of the stone plaque that honors nearly two million Algerians, including civilians, who died in unequal combats against the French colonial Army, the official news agency APS reported.

The ceremony was attended by the Chairman of the Council of the Nation, Abdelkader Bensalah, and the Minister of Health, Population and Hospital Reform, Abdelmalik Boudiaf, on behalf of Algeria.

The monument to the martyrs of the struggle for independence, which lasted more than eight years and ended 132 years of French colonization, is located on a hill in the capital from where the Mediterranean Sea can be seen.

After proclaiming independence by virtue of the Evian Agreements, the Algerians had to fight the death squads created by the self-styled Organization of the Secret Army, set up by military officers and landowners.

Relations between Cuba and Algeria were established since the proclamation of the country’s independence. The two nations are members of the Non-Aligned Movement and have hosted the group’s summits.

The Cuban president started a three-day official and working visit to this North African country on Sunday, the source added.