Evacuation Day (Syria) Explained

Holiday Name:Evacuation Day
Official Name:Evacuation Day
Observedby:Syrians
Duration:1 day
Frequency:Annual
Date:17 April[1]
Observances:Parades, flowers
Type:National
Significance:Evacuation of the last French soldier and Syria's proclamation

Evacuation Day (Arabic: عيد الجلاء|ʿīd al-jalāʾ, also known as Jalaa Day or Clearance Day)[2] [3] is Syria's national day commemorating the evacuation of the last French soldier at the end of the French mandate of Syria on 17 April 1946 after Syria's proclamation of full independence in 1941.

History

After World War I, the Ottoman Empire was divided into several new independent states, creating the modern Arab world and the Republic of Turkey. Following the Sykes–Picot Agreement between France, the United Kingdom, and Russia in 1916, the League of Nations granted France mandates over present-day Syria and Lebanon in 1923.[4]

France divided the region into six states based in part on the sectarian makeup on the ground in Syria. However, nearly all the Syrian sects were hostile to the French mandate and to the division it created. This was best demonstrated by the numerous revolts, including the 1925 Hama uprising, that the French encountered in the Syrian states.[5] A six-day general strike in the spring of 1936 paralyzed the country and in part forced the French government to negotiate the Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence with the National Bloc.[6] However, the French did not withdraw right away after the treaty was signed in the autumn of 1936.

With the fall of France in 1940 during World War II, Syria came under the control of the Vichy Government until the British and Free France invaded and occupied the country in July 1941. Syria proclaimed its independence in 1941 but it was not until 1 January 1944 that it was recognized as an independent republic. With the advent of the Levant Crisis in 1945, prompted by a British invasion authorised by Sir Winston Churchill, the French evacuated the last of their troops on 17 April 1946.[7] The French regime had proposed to depart on 18 April, Good Friday in 1946, but Syrian officials opted for a slightly earlier date to avoid holding ceremonies on the Christian holiday.[8]

In 2018, with the Syrian Civil War ongoing, and merely days after the Douma chemical attack and the retaliatory military strikes carried out by the US, UK, and France, Evacuation Day commemorative activities held in Umayyad Square in Damascus were attended by thousands of people carrying Syrian flags.[9]

As of 2021, Evacuation Day is observed by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.[10]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Book: Political Performance in Syria: From the Six-Day War to the Syrian Uprising . 9 . Edward Ziter . Springer . 2014. 9781137358981 .
  2. News: Kwong . Jessica . Syrian Independence Day Facts: Syria Celebrates Freedom From France Days After Airstrike . Newsweek . 17 April 2018 . en . The holiday is referred to as Jalaa Day and translates to Evacuation Day or Clearance Day . 16 April 2021 . 26 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221126134501/https://www.newsweek.com/syrian-independence-day-facts-syria-celebrates-freedom-france-days-after-888257 . live .
  3. News: On Independence Day, A Subdued Syrian Capital . 16 April 2021 . NPR . 17 April 2013 . en . April 17 is called Jalaa Day, which translates to Clearance Day, a reference to the last French soldier vacating Syrian soil. . 16 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210416121614/https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2013/04/17/177614460/on-independence-day-a-subdued-syrian-capital#:~:text=April%2017%20is%20called%20Jalaa,French%20soldier%20vacating%20Syrian%20soil. . live .
  4. News: Why border lines drawn with a ruler in WW1 still rock the Middle East. Tarek Osman. BBC. 13 December 2013. 17 April 2014. 2 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180802095247/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-25299553. live.
  5. Encyclopedia: Syria: The French mandate. Encyclopædia Britannica. 11 November 2013. 17 April 2014. 13 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131213094229/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/578856/Syria/29921/The-French-mandate/. live.
  6. Book: Moubayed . Sami M. . Steel & Silk: Men and Women who Shaped Syria 1900–2000 . 2006 . Cune Press . 978-1-885942-40-1 . 170 . 16 April 2021 . en.
  7. News: Syria profile. BBC. 19 March 2014. 17 April 2014. 18 April 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140418084030/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14703995. live.
  8. News: Jansen . Michael . Syria marks 'evacuation day' to the beat of mortars and the march of security forces . 16 April 2021 . The Irish Times . 18 April 2014 . en . April 17th is a day of complications and contradictions. The French colonial regime proposed the 18th, but in 1946, as now, the date fell on Good Friday so the Syrian nationalists decided it should be a day earlier to accommodate Christians. The holiday commemorates the departure of the last colonial soldier from Damascus. He was an Indian from a British regiment rather than a French trooper serving the sour mandatory power, which had wanted a dependent rather than an independent Syria. . 29 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211129092613/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/middle-east/syria-marks-evacuation-day-to-the-beat-of-mortars-and-the-march-of-security-forces-1.1765775 . live .
  9. News: Tidey . Alice . Syria celebrates independence from France, days after Western military strikes . 17 April 2021 . . 17 April 2018 . en . 17 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210417164222/https://www.euronews.com/2018/04/17/syria-celebrates-independence-from-france-days-after-western-military-strikes . live .
  10. Web site: AANES declare April 17 an official day-off – ANHA . www.hawarnews.com . . 17 April 2021 . en . 15 April 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210415082613/https://www.hawarnews.com/en/haber/aanes-declare-april-17-an-official-day-off-h24073.html . live .

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