On November 1, 1954, the National Liberation Front (Front de libération nationale, or FLN) issued a proclamation, which declared Algeria’s separation from France, sparking a brutal eight-year war of independence. The Proclamation of the Algerian National Liberation Front marked the beginning of the end of Algerian severance from French rule, a process that had begun decades earlier. That process crescendoed in 1951 when several smaller groups joined to create the Algerian Front (Front algerien). However, the coalition fell apart in 1954, and a small militant group calling for armed rebellion formed the Revolutionary Committee for Unity and Action (Comité révolutionnaire d’unité et d’action) with headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. Between March and October 1954 the group divided Algeria into six military districts and selected commanders to launch direct action against France. On November 1, the Revolutionary Committee for Unity and Action changed its name to the National Liberation Front, and its military wing became the National Liberation Army. The FLN claimed authority and responsibility for leading the Algerian people to freedom and creating a viable state. This goal attracted all of the factions to one purpose. On the day of its name change, the FLN agitated for direct action against the French, airing its final challenge by calling upon all Muslims in Algeria to join the struggle for independence. The goal was to restore the preexisting Algerian state based on Islamic principles and law. These aspiration were expressed in the Proclamation of the Algerian National Liberation Front.