African nations urge recognition of colonial crimes

At a November 30th conference in Algiers, African leaders urged the recognition, criminalisation, and addressing of colonial-era crimes through reparations, according to the Associated Press on December 1st.

Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf opened the conference with a speech which highlighted his nation’s experience under French colonial rule, and stated that “Africa is entitled to demand the official and explicit recognition of the crimes committed against its peoples during the colonial period.”

French colonial rule over Algeria ended in 1962; however, the impact of the economic plunder of African nations by European colonists has been ongoing.

Associated Press and Maghrebi.org