Algerian War of Independence

I

Introduction

Algerian War of Independence, liberation conflict of Algeria against France, which took place over eight years between 1954 and 1962, culminating in the independence of Algeria from French colonial rule in July 1962. It was the longest and most bitter colonial war fought by a European power which, at its height, raised passions that threatened the stability of France itself. The fighting was characterized by the Algerian use of urban and rural guerrilla warfare, coordinated by the Front de Libération Nationale (Algerian National Liberation Front; FLN).

II

Background to War

At the end of World War II, the V-E (Victory in Europe) Day celebrations of May 8, 1945, were marred in Algeria by violent demonstrations in the town of Sétif and the first Algerian attacks against European settlers (or colons), of whom around 100 died. French retributions for this uprising, resulting in the deaths of several thousand Algerians, radicalized the approach of many Algerian nationalists towards gaining independence from France. Attempts by Paris to implement more liberal reforms were thwarted by the colons’ resistance and by Algerian dissatisfaction.

The main Algerian political parties under Messali Hadj and Ferhat Abbas had participated in French-organized elections from the late 1940s. Pressures for more direct action, however, led to the creation of a clandestine revolutionary group, the Organization Speciale (OS), uncovered by the French in 1950. In March 1954, to plan for revolutionary action, nine of the younger radical nationalists (later known as the historic chiefs) formed the basic structures of what became the FLN.

III

The Outbreak of War

On November 1, 1954, FLN committees coordinated bomb attacks and assaults throughout Algeria. Almost immediately, Paris sent military reinforcements to track down suspects in rural areas. Under FLN command Algeria was divided into military zones, or wilayat, each headed by a colonel. These were Wilaya I: the Aurès Mountains in northeastern Algeria; II: the city of Constantine and the northeastern coastline; III: the Berber region of Kabylia; IV: the capital Algiers; and V: the city of Oran and western Algeria.

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The first problem the FLN experienced in its expansion was a shortage of arms. Additionally, in the harsh winter of 1954 to 1955, the leader of Wilaya II was killed and the Wilaya IV commanders were imprisoned. In March 1956 another FLN colonel was killed by a booby-trapped radio. During 1954 to 1956 the French strengthened security forces throughout Algeria. Retaliations against Algerian villages were waged by both French paratroop regiments and colons and were often indiscriminate. The FLN in turn staged counterattacks, creating a climate of terror to pressure Algerians into joining them. The French government, under intensified pressure from colons, repeated assurances that Algeria would never be abandoned. Nevertheless, a new French representative, Jacques Soustelle, was sent to negotiate reforms with Algerian political moderates.

IV

1955: The Philippeville Massacres

Until the summer of 1955, European civilians had not been direct victims of the guerrillas, the main targets being communications networks, public buildings, and Algerian officials working for the French. On August 20, 1955, 80 FLN guerrillas of Wilaya II descended on a suburb of the town of Philippeville (now Skikda) and killed an estimated 123 people, including women and children.

The French responded to the attack on a civilian population by tracking down and killing up to 12,000 Algerians in the Wilaya II region. The massacres polarized the European and Algerian communities. Reformist Algerian politicians like Abbas, and Soustelle himself, thenceforth renounced negotiations in favor of full confrontation.

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