The French bombing of a Tunisian town in 1958 | Al Jazeera World Documentary
Feb 10, 2025 #AlJazeeraWorld #documentary #Tunisia
The bombing of a Tunisian town that escalated internationally, part of the history of coloni
Feb 10, 2025 #AlJazeeraWorld #documentary #Tunisia
The bombing of a Tunisian town that escalated internationally, part of the history of colonialism in North Africa.
For two months in 1958, a small Tunisian town became the centre of a major international incident that resounded from North Africa to France, the US and the United Nations. It started with the French bombing of Sakiet Sidi Youssef on February 8, 1958, during the Algerian War of Independence. Sakiet is close to the Tunisian border with Algeria. There were refugees from the war there and it was also a border crossing point for Algerian fighters.
The attack killed at least 70 and injured about 100. France claimed it was targeting a base of Algerian resistance fighters but journalists visiting the scene found only flattened homes, a marketplace and a school. The attack strained Tunisia-France relations, amplified international condemnation of France's colonial policies and moved the Algerian War onto the global stage. It was a key moment in the history of French colonialism in North Africa.
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