In 2012, Algeria celebrated 50 years of independence. An independence that was welcomed by most Algerians after a bitter war started on 1 November 1954. The Algerian War that claimed more than a million and a half lives ended on 5 July 1962 as Algeria was proclaimed an independent state. For many, independence meant the recovery of national integrity and the revival of an Algerian identity as well as symbolising a courageous resistance against a foreign power. Algerians were left to organise their own politics and govern their own people. After 132 years of occupation, Algeria was...