National holiday commemorating Algerian independence from France (5 July 1962)
Independence Day of Algeria
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Observed by
| Algeria
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Type
| National
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Celebrations
| Flag Hoisting, Parades, Singing Patriotic Songs and the
national anthem
, Speech by the
President
of Algeria.
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Date
| July 5
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Next time
| July 5, 2024
(
2024-07-05
)
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Frequency
| Annual
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Independence Day
(
Arabic
:
??? ?????????
,
romanized
:
??d al-istiql?li
,
French
:
Jour de l'Independance
), observed annually on 5 July, is a
National Holiday in Algeria
commemorating
colonial Algerian
independence from
France
on
5 July 1962
.
Algerian War (1954?1962)
[
edit
]
The
Algerian War of Independence
began in November 1954 and ended in 1962. The war was very brutal and long, and was the most recent major turning point in Algeria's history. Although often fratricidal, it ultimately united Algerians and raised the value of independence and the philosophy of
anticolonialism
into the national consciousness. Abusive tactics of the
French Army
remains a controversial subject in France to this day.
In the early morning hours (12:00 am) of 1 November 1954, the National Liberation Army (
L'armee de Liberation Nationale
?FLN) launched attacks throughout Algeria in the opening salvo of a
war of independence
. An important watershed in this war was the massacre of civilians by the FLN near the town of Philippeville in August 1955. The government claimed it killed 1,273 guerrillas in retaliation; according to the FLN, 12,000 Muslims perished in an orgy of bloodletting by the armed forces and police, as well as colon gangs. After Philippeville, all-out war began in Algeria. The FLN fought largely using guerrilla and terrorist tactics whilst the French counter-insurgency tactics often included severe reprisals and repression.
Eventually, protracted negotiations led to a cease-fire signed by France and the FLN on March 18, 1962, at
Evian, France
. The
Evian accords
also provided for continuing economic, financial, technical, and cultural relations, along with interim administrative arrangements until a
referendum
on
self-determination
could be held. The Evian accords guaranteed the religious and property rights of French settlers, but the perception that they would not be respected led to the exodus of one million
pieds-noirs
and
harkis
.
Between 350.000 and 1 million Algerians are estimated to have died during the war, and more than 2 million, out of a total
Muslim
population of 9 or 10 million, were made into refugees or forcibly relocated into government-controlled camps. Much of the countryside and
agriculture
was devastated, along with the modern
economy
, which had been dominated by urban European
settlers
(the
pied-noirs
). French sources estimated that at least 70,000 Muslim civilians were killed or abducted and presumed killed, by the FLN during the
Algerian War
. Nearly one million people of mostly French, Spanish and Italian
[1]
descent were forced to flee Algeria at independence due to the unbridgeable rifts opened by the civil war and threats from units of the victorious FLN. Along with them fled most Algerians of
Jewish
descent and those Muslim Algerians who had supported a French Algeria (
harkis
). 30?150,000 pro-French Muslims were also killed in Algeria by FLN in post-war reprisals.
[2]
French President Charles De Gaulle pronounced Algeria an independent country on 3 July.
[3]
The decision was published in the official journal the following day,
[4]
and Algerian leaders declared 5 July, the anniversary of the French arrival in
Algiers
, to be Independence Day.
[5]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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January
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February
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March
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April
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May
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June?July?August
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June
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July
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September
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October
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November
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December
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Varies (year round)
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Bold
indicates major holidays commonly celebrated in Algeria, which often represent the major celebrations of the month.
See also:
Lists of holidays
.
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