March 19: Algerian War Remembrance Day

Manuel Van den Broucke, sports, society and politics correspondent, March 19, 2025

Origin of Algerian War Remembrance Day

The National Day of Remembrance and Reflection in memory of the civilian and military victims of the Algerian War and the fighting in Tunisia and Morocco was established in 2012 in France. This date, set on March 19, corresponds to the day of the official ceasefire in Algeria in 1962, established by the Évian Accords signed the day before.

The Algerian War

The Algerian War, which took place from 1954 to 1962, pitted the National Liberation Front (FLN) against French forces. The conflict began on November 1, 1954, with a series of attacks carried out by the FLN during what became known as "Red All Saints' Day." Violence quickly escalated, with attacks targeting civilians and soldiers alike, such as the Philippeville massacre in August 1955, where around 123 Europeans and more than 1,200 Algerians were killed in clashes. In 1957, during the Melouza massacres, more than 300 residents were killed by the FLN for their support of the Algerian National Movement (MNA), the FLN's political rival.

On October 17, 1961, a demonstration by Algerians organized in Paris against the curfew imposed on North Africans was violently suppressed by the French police, led by Maurice Papon, causing the deaths of dozens of protesters. The Évian Accords, signed on March 18, 1962, led to the ceasefire on March 19 and paved the way for Algerian independence, proclaimed on July 5, 1962. This period saw the mass exodus of the Pieds-Noirs, forced to leave Algeria, and the tragedy of the Harkis, the French army's Algerian auxiliaries who were victims of bloody reprisals.

The fighting in Tunisia and Morocco

In Morocco, the nationalist movement took shape around the Istiqlal party, which had demanded independence since the 1940s. The situation worsened with the exile of Sultan Mohammed V in 1953, replaced by Sultan Mohammed Ben Arafa, who was backed by the French authorities. In 1955, clashes between Moroccan nationalists and the French army multiplied, with fighting in the Atlas region and attacks in Casablanca. The return of Sultan Mohammed V in 1955 paved the way for negotiations that led to Morocco's independence on March 2, 1956.

In Tunisia, the fight for independence was led by the Neo Destour party headed by Habib Bourguiba. The assassination of activist Ferhat Hached, a leading figure in Tunisian trade unionism, in December 1952, sparked a wave of protest against the French protectorate. This unrest led to the signing of the internal autonomy agreements in 1955, paving the way for independence on March 20, 1956.