North Africa Medal
| North Africa Medal | |
|---|---|
North Africa medal (obverse) | |
| Type | Commemorative Medal |
| Awarded for | 90 days service in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria |
| Presented by | France |
| Eligibility | French citizens and foreign nationals serving in the ranks of the French Foreign Legion |
| Status | No longer awarded |
| Established | 29 April 1997 |
| Final award | 12 April 2002 |
Ribbon of the North Africa medal | |
| Precedence | |
| Equivalent | Medal of the Nation's Gratitude |
| Next (lower) | French commemorative medal |
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The North Africa Medal (French: Médaille d'Afrique du Nord) was a French commemorative medal established on 29 April 1997 by French President Jacques Chirac via decree 97-424, following an initiative of Pierre Pasquini, Minister for veterans' affairs and victims of war who expressed "the importance that an exceptional decoration be established for those who had fought in North Africa". Already in 1996, Minister Pasquini, President Chirac and Prime Minister Alain Juppé had requested that the existing "Title of the Nation's Gratitude" in the form of an official scroll already awarded to soldiers and civilians having served in North Africa between 1952 and 1962, finally be linked to the award of a specific medal.
Not all veterans awarded the "Title of the Nation's Gratitude" met the new medal's award prerequisites and almost immediately, new pressures were placed on the government for new medals or for a single one encompassing all bearers of the Title. It took five years for the new award to be established on 12 April 2002 by decree 2002-511. The "Medal of the Nation's Gratitude" would finally satisfy all involved parties.
The North Africa medal ceased to be awarded that very day following barely five years of existence. It was replaced by the Medal of the Nation's Gratitude with the clasp "AFRIQUE DU NORD" (English: NORTH AFRICA").