Since Friday, November 15, Algeria has remained silent about the crash of a military transport plane bound for Tindouf. It was reported that the Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft, of Russian manufacture, was heading towards the Tindouf military airbase. The plane, which crashed in a region under the jurisdiction of the El Bayadh province, was carrying members of the Polisario armed militias, Cuban military instructors, as well as Algerian soldiers. Brahim Ghali, on the sidelines of his participation in the November 1 celebrations in Algiers, had received the Cuban Deputy Minister of Defense, General Joaquín Quintas Solá. The two parties «examined the latest developments in the national cause, bilateral relations, and issues of common interest», the Front's press agency had briefly indicated. Immediately after this meeting, Algerian opponents announced the imminent arrival of Cuban military advisors in the Tindouf camps to provide their expertise to the members of the Polisario. In Algiers, the Cuban general also had talks with the head of the Algerian army, Said Chengriha, reported local media.
