Why did many European settlers leave Algeria after independence?

Many European settlers, known as pieds noirs, left Algeria following the country's independence in 1962 due to the intense violence and instability that characterized the end of the Algerian War of Independence.12

During the final stages of the conflict, the Secret Army Organization (OAS)—a group of settlers opposed to Algerian independence—engaged in widespread terrorism to disrupt peace negotiations. This climate of fear and the realization that their colonial status was no longer sustainable prompted a mass exodus. Approximately one million Europeans departed Algeria after the war, leaving behind their homes and businesses as the country transitioned to sovereignty.12

While the 1962 independence agreement allowed Europeans to remain as foreigners or apply for Algerian citizenship, the preceding years of conflict, which included guerrilla warfare, torture, and summary executions, had created a deeply fractured society. The departure of the settler population was so significant that it fundamentally altered the demographics of Algeria's urban centers, which had previously been dominated by European settlements.12