The Embassy of Algeria in London commemorates the 64 th anniversary of Independence Day.

The Embassy of Algeria in London commemorated, today, the 64 th anniversary of Independence Day, 5 th July1962.
After 132 years of ruthless French colonial rule, either Algeria's independence or the right to self-determination, embodied by the referendum, would have been possible without the sacrifices of millions of martyrs who gave their lives for the homeland, starting from the very moment of the French invasion at the
port of SidiFredj. Independence was the culmination of a long history of fierce resistance: beginning with popular uprisings, progressing through political struggle, and ultimately leading to the triumphant War of Liberation. Launched on 1 st November 1954, that revolution did not cease until it had defeated one of the toughest traditional colonial powers of the era.
The Algerian Revolution, waged on both political and military fronts, shattered France domestically and internationally, compelling it to turn to negotiations. These culminated in the signing of the Evian Accords on 18 th March1962, followed by a ceasefire declaration the next day. The Evian Accords secured the Algerian people's right to self-determination; consequently, Algerians voted vastly for independence, thereby putting an end to 132 years of suffering marked by oppression, slaughter, genocide, and racism.
The self-determination referendum was held on 1 st July1962, and its results were officially announced on 3 rd July 1962. Based on these results, 5 th July 1962, was proclaimed the date for the restitution of national sovereignty, a choice of profound symbolic significance that transformed the date marking France's invasion of Algeria into one where the joy of victory replaced the suffering of occupation.
On this day in 1962, crowds poured into public squares and streets, waving national flags and chanting slogans of victory. It was a clear declaration of the end of a bygone era and the dawn of a new one for an independent Algeria, sovereign over its land and decisions, and proud of its identity and the determination of its people. Thus, the 5 th of July1962 remains a symbol of the rebirth of the Algerian state as it advances along a path of construction and development, a process marked by dynamic activity through recent political and economic reforms led by the President of the Republic, as well as the major structural projects designed to revitalise the national economy and liberate it from dependence on hydrocarbons.