Algerians celebrate 59th Independence Day from French colonialism

Algerians celebrated their 59th Independence Day on Monday, recalling the armed struggle in the North African nation to gain freedom from French colonial rule.

The French ruled over Algeria for 132 years, which ended on July 5, 1962.

In May 1830, France invaded Algeria under the pretext of receiving seven million francs. Algerian fighters strongly resisted the attack, but due to the superiority of the French equipment, the war was prolonged and French soldiers committed murder, rape, torture and other crimes against Algerians.

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.

During the War of Independence, much of the countryside and agriculture was devastated, along with the modern economy, which had been dominated by urban European settlers.

According to some estimates, the struggle for independence from France left over five and a half million Algerians dead, which amounted to about half of the country’s population at that time.

After the victory of the revolution and the independence of Algeria, the crimes of France continued and led to the destruction of Algerian settlements and the killing of thousands of people.

Even after nearly 60 years, Paris has failed to act against perpetrators of genocide, torture, murder or even to compensate the country for such actions committed by its forces.

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