Algiers, November 27 (RHC) --- In Algeria, authorities of the North African country have declared eight days of mourning in honor of Fidel Castro.  Algerian government officials expressed their condolences and admiration for Fidel Castro and his internationalist, anti-imperialist solidarity.

In the early years following the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, Algeria became the first nation to receive internationalist military aid from Cuba, following a brigrade sent to Chile in 1960 after an earthquake. 

Declaring Fidel's death as “a great loss for the Algerian people” in a written statement, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika expressed his gratitude for the key role that Fidel and the Cuban army played in the Algerian Liberation War against French colonizers between 1954 and 1962. 

"I salute him as an authentic defender of the values of peace, respect and national sovereignty, and of his uncompromising struggle for the rights of people to self-determination," stated President Bouteflika.  

In 1961, Cuba began its first internationalist mission by providing assistance to Algeria’s National Liberation Front rebels fighting against French colonialism. 

By 1962, Algeria had gained its independence and soon after entered into diplomatic relations with the Caribbean island.  It didn’t take long for Algeria’s first prime minister, Ben Bella, to visit the island and express his support for the struggle for socialism.