French troopships steamed out of Algiers' harbor last week, and the Tricolor on the Admiralty Building was replaced by the green-and-white banner of Algeria. In a nationwide broadcast, President Ahmed ben Bella cried, "This important event reaffirms our national sovereignty and consolidates our independence!"
The departure, 134 years after the first French soldiers landed, was the last step of France's retreat from Algeriawell, almost the last. Some French troops still remain at the big Mers-el-Kebir naval base and at Saharan bases, but Ben Bella promised his countrymen that a "solution will be found."
Unanswered by Ben Bella was how Algeria will...
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