Focus on Africa Algeria revises law on French colonialism
Mar 11, 2026
Chude Jidon, Nigerian writer who lives with Tourette's, shares his personal journey and advocacy. Sophie Chamalan, researcher on Algeria–France relations, explains the revised law criminalising French colonial rule and demands over nuclear-test compensation. They discuss colonial harms, secrecy over archives and stigma around neurological conditions in Africa.
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Algeria Keeps Nuclear Compensation But Drops Apology Demand
- Algeria revised a law criminalising French colonial rule but removed demands for official apologies and large reparations.
- The amendment keeps compensation for victims of French nuclear tests and follows Senate changes reflecting President Tebboune's stance.
Revised Law May Stay Symbolic Without Archival Access
- Sophie Chamalan warns the law may be symbolic domestically but unlikely to change France's stance or unlock archives.
- She says tense political relations and France's reluctance to open archives limit accountability and research into harms.
Nuclear Tests Framed As Nuclear Colonialism
- France tested its first nuclear device in the Algerian Sahara in February 1960 during the war of independence, exploiting the desert as an 'empty' colonial space.
- Sophie calls this pattern nuclear colonialism, noting France later moved tests to French Polynesia when Algeria became independent.