The Cost of Independence

The violence and hatred of Algeria flooded over both of its borders, into Tunisia and Morocco.

Tunisia: Worse. In Tunisia a 350-man French army unit, operating in a border area where Algerian rebels have sought refuge, found itself "surrounded" by Tunisian soldiers, and in the ensuing scuffle killed seven of them. In an angry speech to his people, Tunisia's normally moderate and pro-Western Premier Habib Bourguiba cried: "There must be no more French troop movements. We are not at war with France, but we are at war with the remnants of colonialism in Tunisia. We start the battle of evacuation today." At the end of his speech the crowd took up the chant "Evacuation! Evacuation!"

The result may be the flight of French brains and resources from North Africa. In the first few dizzy weeks of independence, French officials in Tunisia were curtly told to "conform with Moslem customs," e.g., eight hours of uninterrupted work daily, no long lunch hours, Friday instead of Sunday holidays. Even Premier Bourguiba could not resist saying, "When I see a French gendarme, I choke with anger." He fired all 2,500 French cops and customs officials and several thousand minor French bureaucrats, replacing them with Tunisians. As a result, 50,000 Frenchmen (approximately 30%) have left Tunisia for France. Several weeks ago, faced with a shortage of skilled Arabs to run his administration, Bourguiba offered the 3,500 top French officials and technicians pay and privileges far above that of their Tunisian counterparts. Less than one-third accepted. With the cry of "Evacuation" in the air, fewer than ever can be expected to stay on.

Morocco: Better. The situation in Morocco, which once threatened to be as bad (bank deposits were down 37% by the end of the first nine months of independence, an estimated 50,000 French have gone back to France), may be recoverable as a result of a Cultural Convention signed last week between France and Morocco. One of the great fears exercising French settlers in North Africa is that the status of the schools in the independent states will not be recognized in France, thus depriving their children of the right to enter French universities or the French civil service. The new convention not only recognizes Moroccan schools, but gives schoolteachers increased salaries and special privileges. Morocco has also made similar tempting offers to 20,000 French technicians and officials.

The exodus of 100,000 Frenchmen from Morocco and Tunisia is nothing to the problem that will be presented, both to the North Africa they leave and the France they descend on, if the Frenchmen in Algeria--one million strong--de-cide to evacuate North Africa. So far less than 1% have returned to France: the battle of Algeria is still joined, and the French are stubbornly sticking.

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