African leaders gathered in Algiers on Sunday to push for recognition and reparations for colonial-era crimes across the continent.
The conference sought to advance an African Union resolution calling for justice and restitution for victims of European colonialism.
Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf highlighted Algeria’s brutal French colonial history, insisting restitution should be “neither a gift nor a favor.”
“Africa is entitled to demand official recognition of crimes committed against its peoples during colonialism,” Attaf said, stressing lasting social and economic consequences.
International law outlaws slavery, torture, and apartheid, yet colonialism is not explicitly defined as a crime against humanity under the United Nations Charter.
The AU proposed a unified position on reparations, emphasizing that colonization’s impact endures, with trillions allegedly extracted in resources from African nations.
European powers exploited gold, diamonds, and rubber through violent means, enriching themselves while leaving African societies impoverished and marginalized.
African states have increasingly demanded the return of cultural artifacts still housed in European museums, citing ongoing colonial theft.
Algeria’s conference location reflects its history of extreme French repression, including mass casualties, torture, and village destruction during its war for independence.
Attaf described Algeria’s ordeal as a rare historical example of systemic colonial violence, shaping the nation’s stance on unresolved decolonization issues.
He framed Western Sahara as “Africa’s last colony,” supporting the Sahrawi people’s legal right to self-determination against Moroccan claims.
Algeria has long advocated for colonial crimes to be addressed through international law, balancing demands for justice with diplomatic sensitivity toward France.
French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged colonial abuses in 2017, calling some acts crimes against humanity but stopped short of a formal apology.
Parliamentarian Mohamed Arezki Ferrad stressed reparations must go beyond symbolism, highlighting looted Algerian artifacts, including the 16th-century cannon Baba Merzoug, still in France.
