Algeria’s parliament has begun debating a draft law that would formally criminalise more than a century of French colonial rule, a step lawmakers say is aimed at confronting historical injustices and defending the country’s national memory.
The proposal was introduced during a plenary session of the People’s National Assembly by speaker Ibrahim Boughali, who described the initiative as a unifying national cause and a landmark moment in modern Algerian history. A vote on the bill is expected later this month.
Supporters of the legislation argue it is intended to denounce what they describe as a colonial system built on oppression, violence and systemic injustice. Abdelmalek Tachrift, minister for war veterans and their families, told parliament the measure demonstrates that Algeria will not compromise on its interpretation of its past or tolerate challenges to its historical narrative.
“This qualitative step … embodies the condemnation of a defunct colonial system based on oppression and injustice, and at the same time confirms that victorious Algeria will never … accept any tampering with or relinquishment of the facts of its history,” the minister said.
The draft law comes amid a broader push across Africa for recognition and accountability over the legacies of colonialism, slavery and racial discrimination, with calls for such practices to be formally condemned under international law.
France ruled Algeria from 1830 until independence in 1962, a period marked by widespread repression and a brutal war of liberation. Relations between Algiers and Paris have deteriorated in recent years, strained by disputes over regional politics and unresolved disagreements about colonial-era history.
While France has acknowledged responsibility in certain individual cases linked to the war, it has stopped short of issuing a comprehensive apology. Algerian media report that the proposed law would classify acts committed under colonial rule, including killings, forced displacement, torture, discrimination and nuclear testing, as crimes against humanity.
Image credit: Sid Ahmed Saoud
Do the French now have to “decolonise” themselves?