The city of Quimper, in Brittany, held a commemorative ceremony on March 19, 2026, to mark the National Day of Remembrance for the civilian and military victims of the Algerian War and the battles in Morocco and Tunisia. The event took place at the city's war memorial, as is the annual tradition on this date.
Officials, including Mayor Isabelle Assih, veterans, and representatives of veteran associations laid wreaths and observed a minute of silence. The ceremony honors the memory of those who died during the conflict which ended with the Evian Accords on March 18, 1962, with a ceasefire taking effect the following day.
The national day, established by a 2003 law, serves to pay tribute to the over 400,000 French soldiers and an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 Algerian civilians who lost their lives during the nearly eight-year war. Commemorations were held across France, including at the national monument in Paris.
These annual ceremonies aim to foster reconciliation and historical memory, acknowledging a complex and painful chapter in Franco-Algerian history. The events are typically solemn and focus on the shared duty of remembrance for all victims of the conflict.
