Algeria gained independence from France on 5 July 1962, after a seven-year war of independence. The war began in 1954, when a group of Algerian nationalists launched an armed uprising against French colonial rule. The war was marked by intense fighting and atrocities committed by both sides. In 1961, the French government began to negotiate with the Algerian nationalists, and a ceasefire was signed in 1962. Algeria became an independent state on 5 July 1962.
