The war in Algeria was and remains a sensitive subject for France, the events were only first openly officially identified as a war in 1999. The "Médaille Coloniale" ("Colonial Medal") or "Médaille d'Outre-Mer" ("Overseas Medal") were for service overseas and the "Croix de Guerre" ("War Cross") was for service in wartime against an exterior enemy. There was no award at the time to recognize and reward combat service on what was essentially French soil. A medal was initially created by decree 56-1032 of 12 October 1956 and called the "Médaille Commémorative des Opérations de Sécurité et de Maintien de l'Ordre en Afrique du Nord" (). It was designed to fill this void and recognize their service in what was officially called a "police action" to quell disorder, rather than a military campaign against an armed and organized enemy. Decree 58-24 of 11 January 1958 modified the design and renamed the award to "Médaille Commémorative des Opérations de Sécurité et de Maintien de l'Ordre" ().