On the night of 31 October 1954, a series of attacks across colonial Algeria marked the start of the Algerian War – a bloody conflict that would last eight years. Claimed by the newly formed National Liberation Front (FLN), the attacks signalled the beginning of Algeria’s push for independence from France, which would ultimately reshape the lives of millions and alter France’s colonial future.
Between midnight and 3am, French-ruled Algeria was shaken by around 70 coordinated attacks, leaving 10 settlers dead. French authorities were caught off guard and initially dismissed the assaults as a “tribal uprising”, possibly “fomented in Cairo” by Pan-Arabist movements.
