Sixty years on, "the birth of Algeria as an independent state still holds a very important meaning"

Issued on: 06/07/2022

Algeria celebrated 60 years of independence from France on Tuesday with nationwide ceremonies, a pardon of 14,000 prisoners and its first military parade in decades. The events mark the country’s official declaration of independence on July 5, 1962, after a brutal seven-year war that ended 132 years of colonial rule. Opposition figures and pro-democracy activists called the elaborate celebrations an effort to distract attention from Algeria's economic and political troubles by glorifying the army, and called for the release of political prisoners. For more analysis, FRANCE 24 is joined by Jihane Boudiaf, a Research Analyst whose work contributes to several Country Risk teams at S&P Global Market Intelligence, covering sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and the Middle East. "This is not so much about the pro-democracy movement or the FLN," explains Ms. Boudiaf. "I think that Algeria is displaying here this impressive military arsenal which is an important message that it wants to communicate regionally and internationally in this more challenging geopolitical context."