National Liberation Army (Algeria)

The National Liberation Army or ALN (Arabic: جيش التحرير الوطني الجزائري, romanized: Jaīš al-taḥrīr al-waṭanī al-jazāʾirī; French: Armée de libération nationale) was the armed wing of the nationalist National Liberation Front of Algeria during the Algerian War. After Algeria won its independence from France in 1962, the ALN was converted into the regular Algerian People's National Armed Forces.

National Liberation Army
جيش التحرير الوطني الجزائري Armée de libération nationale
Flag of the FLN and the GPRA
Also known as	ALN
Foundation	24 October 1954
Dissolved	5 July 1962
Country	Algeria
Motives	Independence of Algeria
Active regions	French Algeria Tunisia Morocco Metropolitan France
Ideology	Algerian nationalism Arab socialism
Political position	Big tent
Notable attacks	Toussaint Rouge Oran massacre
Size	40,000 (1957) 90,000 (1958) 120,000 (1962)
Part of	FLN
Allies	Tunisia Morocco Egypt
Opponents	France
Battles and wars	Algerian War Battle of Douar Souadek First Battle of El Djorf Battle of Philippeville Battle of Algiers Battle of Bouzegza Battle of Bab El Bekkouche Battle of the borders
Designated as a terrorist group by	France

History

Main article: Declaration of 1 November 1954

Algerian Revolution

Main article: Algerian Revolution

The Front de Libération Nationale (National Liberation Front) was established by the Comité Révolutionnaire d'Unité et d'Action (Revolutionary Committee of Unity and Action) and organised in March 1954. Around two years later this group absorbed most but not all the Algerian nationalist organisations. It then re-organised itself and established a provisional government. This government included five members in executive and legislative bodies; all the members were district heads. During the ongoing war of independence in Algeria; Colonel Houari Boumedienne (the future President of Algeria) led the military wing of the FLN, the National Liberation Army, against the French.

The group grew to nearly 40,000 men in 1957, while France deployed 400,000 soldiers, starting in 1956, in response. The ALN established camps across the borders of Tunisia and Morocco to provide logistical support and arms to their fighters in Algeria. The struggle between the ALN and the French continued until 18 March 1962, when both parties signed a ceasefire in Évian-les-Bains. A referendum, held in Algeria on 1 July as part of the Évian Agreement, led to an overwhelming victory for the separatists, who declared independence two days later.

Post-war

Main article: Independence Day in Algeria

On the morning of 5 July 1962 seven companies of ALN soldiers entering the city of Oran were fired on by some Pied-Noirs, white Europeans who were born in colonial Algeria. An outraged Arab mob swept into the Pied-Noir neighbourhoods, which had already been largely vacated, and attacked the estimated 40,000 remaining pieds-noirs there. The violence lasted several hours until it was ended by the deployment of French Gendarmerie.

Gallery

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  NLA soldiers with a mortar
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  NLA soldiers
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  NLA soldiers eating
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  NLA soldiers cleaning their weapons
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  NLA soldiers marching
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  NLA soldiers in line
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  NLA soldiers
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  NLA soldiers with the Algerian flag
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  NLA training
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  NLA soldiers resting
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  NLA soldiers with the Yugoslav journalist Zdravko Pečar
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  Houari Boumediène in uniform during the Algerian War of Independence

Bibliography

• Federal Research Division (May 2008). "Country Profile: Algeria" (PDF). Library of Congress (May 2008 ed.). Retrieved 9 May 2020.
• Horne, Alistair (1978). A Savage War of Peace: Algeria, 1954–1962. Viking Press. ISBN 978-067-0619-641.