Evacuation Day in Tunisia
October 15 · Level 8 · #568 of 2238
Evacuation Day is a Tunisian public holiday marking 15 October 1963, when the last French troops left the base at Bizerte. It celebrates the end of foreign military presence on Tunisian soil.
How it is celebrated: official ceremonies are held, above all in Bizerte, flags are raised and wreaths are laid at memorials to those who died for independence.
Tunisia became independent in 1956, yet France kept its base at Bizerte for seven more years. It sparked an armed crisis in 1961.