El Moudjahid- 69 Years After Bandung Conference: Algeria Advances World Peace

BY: Dr. Hana Saada

ALGIERS- The Bandung Conference, held from April 18 to April 24, 1955, commemorates its 69th anniversary today. This event was a pivotal moment for Afro-Asian nations, igniting liberation movements and shaping a new diplomacy rooted in principles of peace, justice, and opposition to exclusion—values ardently championed by Algeria as it works to advance peace worldwide.

Hosted on the island of Java in Indonesia, the conference convened leaders from 29 newly independent countries, including 23 from Asia and 6 from Africa, along with various delegations. Notably, the Algerian delegation, led by FLN members Hocine Ait Ahmed and M’hamed Yazid, participated actively. The conference swiftly outlined its objectives, emphasizing decolonization, non-alignment, non-interference, peaceful coexistence, and economic development.

Under the leadership of influential figures like Indonesian President Sukarno, Indian Prime Minister Nehru, Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, and Egypt’s Abdel Nasser, the Bandung Conference’s ideals were promptly translated into action. In the years following the conference, 31 African countries gained independence from colonial rule, and 12 other countries from both continents were admitted as full members to the United Nations.

The Algerian cause took center stage during the conference discussions, marking a significant triumph. Just five months later, in September 1955, the Algerian issue was officially placed on the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly for the first time. This move internationalized Algeria’s national struggle and expanded its support base globally.

For seasoned freedom fighter and former diplomat Noureddine Djoudi, the Bandung Conference represented a crucial milestone in the relationship between the Third World and major powers, particularly colonial and imperialist nations. Djoudi emphasized that the conference provided the FLN’s diplomatic efforts with an initial platform to garner international solidarity for the Algerian cause, amid a challenging asymmetric warfare scenario against a formidable colonial army backed by NATO allies.

The recognition of the FLN by the Bandung Conference, according to Djoudi, marked a seminal victory for Algerian diplomacy, paving the way for further achievements on the global stage. He underscored that the principles championed by Afro-Asian and European leaders at Bandung resonated deeply with the values of the Algerian Revolution, transcending mere territorial liberation to embody a universal message of freedom, dignity, and humanism.

Even amidst the Liberation War, Djoudi pointed out, the National Liberation Army (ALN) was already aiding in the training of fighters from sub-Saharan Africa still under colonial or apartheid regimes. Therefore, the principles articulated in the Bandung Conference’s final declaration naturally found resonance in Algeria. Djoudi highlighted that non-alignment, advocated by the conference, remains a cornerstone of Algerian foreign policy, evident in its stance at the UN and Security Council, particularly regarding the inalienable rights of the Palestinian and Sahrawi peoples and the pursuit of a fairer, more humane, and balanced global order.

The inscription of the Algerian issue on the UN General Assembly’s agenda, Djoudi stressed, directly resulted from the principles enshrined in the Bandung Conference’s declaration, the recognition of the FLN, and the decisive actions of the FLN representation in New York. He recalled the influence of the late Si Abdelkader Chanderli on the US press, the powerful labor union, and even on the young senator and future president John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

“The historic Bandung Conference concluded on April 24, 1955. Five months later, on September 30, 1955, the Algerian issue was placed on the UN General Assembly’s agenda, to the dismay of French diplomacy and its so-called ‘internal matter’,” Djoudi concluded.

Translated with adaptation from: El Moudjahid- 69 ans après la Conférence de Bandung : L’Algérie fait avancer la paix dans le monde