In a written statement from the Presidency of Algeria, Abdemadjid Tebboune issued a message addressing the people on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the ceasefire agreement between his country and France.
Emphasizing that France’s colonial crimes will not be forgotten and will not lose its currency, Tebboune noted that his country will not give up its right to retrieve archives and its efforts to reveal the fate of the losses during the liberation war.
Tebboune stated that they will demand compensation for those who lost their lives due to the nuclear tests carried out by France in the south of Algeria during the colonial period.
France conducted its first nuclear test in the desert south of Algeria on February 13, 1960, and continued testing until 1966.
Algeria demands that the site of the nuclear waste be revealed and that compensation be paid to the victims and those suffering from a permanent incapacity, however, France rejects these requests.
Algeria had begun its struggle for independence on November 1, 1954, against French occupation.
During eight years of struggle, 1.5 million Algerians lost their lives and millions more were displaced. This great suffering experienced is inscribed in history as a “dark spot” left by France during its withdrawal from Africa.
