Jean-Louis Cerceau, president, explains the dissolution of Fnaca 37

On the evening of December 31, 2024, the National Federation of Veterans in Algeria-Morocco-Tunisia will no longer have a departmental committee in Indre-et-Loire. Its historic president had the dissolution voted for by the general assembly of the association on Thursday September 26, 2024 in Saint-Martin-le-Beau. Two months later, on the eve of the extinction of Fnaca, he reversed this strong decision. Interview.

Can you recall the reasons which pushed you to dissolve the Fnaca departmental committee?

Jean-Louis Cerceau: “The general assembly of September 26 made an observation: with the aging of our members, it was not possible to continue like this, while waiting for the last of us to be buried. We collectively chose to come out with our heads held high by stopping our activity. This was voted by a very strong majority (3 votes against). The assembly accepted the inevitable. There is no one left to replace anywhere. I am among the youngest and I am almost 85 years old! The oldest among us is 96 years old…”

To date, how many local committees and members does Fnaca have in Indre-et-Loire?

“When I arrived at the head of the Fnaca of Indre-et-Loire in 2013, there were nearly 2,000 of us spread across around fifteen local committees, the main of which were Joué-lès-Tours, Saint-Pierre-des- Corps and Bourgueil. Today, the accounts have not been finalized but there will be 800 of us in 2023 for around ten committees, some with only 6 or 7 members. »

What will become of them?

“We gave the local committees the choice: either to affiliate directly with the National Federation, or to transform themselves locally into a veterans' association, or to pronounce pure and simple dissolution. This is the option chosen by the main committees of the department which will disappear on the same date, December 31. This is the case of Saint-Pierre, Joué, Tours and Bourgueil. »

How will the remaining cash from the dissolved association be used?

“It’s clear, the decision is taken by the dissolution committee, made up of the president, the treasurer and the departmental secretary. The administrative procedures have been completed: the balance of the account (around €30,000) will go to Bleuets de France. »

FNCA 37 just celebrated its 50th anniversary on December 10, what can we remember from this half-century of the association?

“She participated in obtaining the combatant's card for those from Algeria who were until then considered law enforcement agents of French Algeria. We ended up being recognized as combatants in 1972, ten years after the ceasefire. Locally, we are one of the rare departments in France where friendship and trust reign between all veterans' associations without exception. This is linked to the fact that my predecessor had the very good idea of ​​initiating the construction of a memorial on the banks of the Loire. It was a unifying project which came to fruition in 2014.”

How, in your opinion, should we honor the veterans of the Algerian war and other conflicts in North Africa when they have all disappeared?

“It’s simple, as for the veterans of the Great War: establish a unique day of remembrance for those of Algeria. »