French Parliament: Algeria As A “Zone Of Military Operations” Until 1964!

The number of French soldiers who have benefited from the war veterans card for their work in Algeria after the country’s hard-won independence, from 2 July 1962 to 1 July 1964 is more than 11,000. And therefore the budget allotted for these beneficiaries reaches over 42 million Euros, or more than 450 billion centimes a year.

The French Secretary of State to the Minister of Defense, responsible for Veterans and Memory, in a reply to a written question by a senator dated 16 July 2016, said it was granted exactly 11.027 war veteran cards for French soldiers who served in Algeria after independence, provided they proved their presence in Algeria before the independence of the country and participated in military operations.

But according to written requests, over 100, made by French parliamentarians demanding the status of war veterans and relevant pensions, to the soldiers after the independence of Algeria, there would be over 80,000 of them, who had supposedly served in the external military operations (Opex).

But the secretary of state said he could not meet all the demands and grant war veteran status to the 80,000 soldiers who served under these foreign missions in the post-independence period because operations wound up on July 19, 1962.

As a recall, MP Republican party Bruno Retailleau (for Vendée region)  reminded the Secretary of State to the Minister of Defense, responsible for Veterans and memory about the situation of French soldiers who served in Algeria until 1 July 1964. The benefit of the war veteran’s card is currently reserved for those military justifying a stay of four months in Algeria starting before 2 July 1962.

But then, that period which marks the eve of the independence of Algeria and therefore the official end of the war, doesn’t entail the end of the military risk for the French troops who were still present on Algerian territory.

Until 1 July 1964, the date of their final withdrawal, over 500 French soldiers laid their lives to serve their country. They officially “died for France”. Their comrades were, in turn, awarded the title of recognition of the Nation and the Commemorative Medal of Algeria. This recognition of their sacrifices made for France however remains incomplete since they haven’t secured to date the war veteran’s card.

The MP therefore asked whether the French government intends to address this contradiction by assigning the war veteran’s card to the French soldiers present on Algerian territory until 1 July 1964 in line with the conditions of duration defined by the finance law No. 2003-1311 of December 30, 2003 for the year 2004.