UCLGA President, Guest of Honour of the City of Algiers

From 13 – 16 July 2009, UCLGA President, Cllr Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, was on an official visit in Algiers, Algeria, at the invitation of the Chairperson of the People’s Assembly of the District of Algiers Centre, Mr Tayeb Zitouni. 

 Cllr Mkhasthwa was invited as a guest of honour to the ceremony of the renewal of the twinning agreement between the District of Algiers Centre and the Sahrawi City of El Ayoun that took place on 12 July 2009 at Tifariti Park. The twinning agreement between the two North African local authorities was first signed in 2002. The renewed agreement has been broadened to include political and diplomatic cooperation between Algiers Centre and El Ayoun with particular emphasis on scaling up solidarity to African and international levels. 

 The ceremony was attended by various local and international political leaders and delegations including the Third Vice President of the Pan African Parliament, Honourable Laroussi Hammi and Ambassadors of African countries to Algeria, human rights activisits and representatives of the Sahrawi people from freed and occupied territories.   Some of the country delegations present at the signing ceremony were participating in the Pan African Festival held in Algiers from 5 – 20 July. 

In his remarks, Mr Zitouni indicated that the signing ceremony, which coincided with the holding of the 2nd Pan African Festival in Algiers, was more than just a cultural event. It was the extension of the oath of November 54 relating to the culture of solidarity and support to the self-determination and independence of oppressed people.

The Wali (Governor) of El Ayoun, Mr Mohamed Daddi, saluted the consistent stance of Algeria in favour of the self-determination of Western Sahara and its solidarity vis-à-vis the Sahrawi people. He went on to indicate that the renewal of the twinning agreement was very symbolic in that it brought together people from the occupied territory of El Ayoun with their relatives and loved ones living in refugee camps in Tindouf. He stressed that this was made possible thanks to Algeria’s solidarity. 

The chairperson of the Algerian National Committee for Solidarity with the Sahrawi People (CNASPS), Mr Mahrez Lamari, who was also the programme director of the event, reiterated the willingness of Algeria, particularly the Algerian community and people’s movement, to continue supporting the just and inalienable cause of the Sahrawi people and their right to self-determination.  

Addressing the gathering, Cllr Mkhathswa started by thanking the Chairperson of the People’s Assembly of the District of Algiers Centre for inviting him to the event that is more than symbolic in that it spoke to the vision of the UCLGA of achieving unity amongst African countries and people. He however stressed that unity as a vision of the UCLGA was not and end in itself but should bring about sustainable development on the continent. He reiterated the solidarity and support of the UCLGA to the Sahrawi people as captured in the Resolutions of the 1st Ordinary Congress of the UCLGA held in Accra, Ghana, in July 2009. He indicated that, at the same Congress, Mr Salem Kaid from Western Sahara was elected into the UCLGA Executive Committee where he represents North Africa. He also took the opportunity to announce that Mr Tayeb Zitouni had been confirmed as UCLGA Vice President for North Africa by the organisation’s last Executive Committee meeting held Lilongwe, Malawi, on 3 April 2009. In concluding his address, Cllr Mkhasthwa, paraphrased Nkwame Krumah, Du Bois and Nelson Mandela in saying that ‘Africa will never be fully free until every part of the continent has been freed’. 

The UCLGA President’s official stay in Algiers included also a visit to the Summer University of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SARD) in the District of Zeralda and a tripartite meeting on the upcoming international conference of cities twinned and in solidarity with the SARD due to take place on 12 and 13 December in Algiers. The meeting held at the CNASPS headquarters brought together CNAPS, the UCLGA and a delegation from SARD. Before ending his visit, Cllr Smangaliso Mkhatshwa met also with Mr Magrama, Director-General of the Africa Department at the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.