African leaders meeting in Algiers have renewed calls for formal recognition of colonial-era crimes and the establishment of legal mechanisms for reparations, arguing that the continent can no longer tolerate silence over historical injustices. The initiative builds on months of diplomatic groundwork within the African Union (AU) and follows a resolution earlier this year urging international bodies to classify colonialism as a crime.
Historical Injustices Demand Recognition
At the opening of the summit on November 30, Algeria’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf told delegates that African countries share a legacy of trauma from colonial rule that continues to shape political and economic realities. He emphasised that restitution should be treated as a right, not a discretionary act by former colonial powers.
“Africa is entitled to demand the official and explicit recognition of the crimes committed against its peoples during the colonial period,” Attaf said, describing recognition as a crucial first step in addressing enduring inequalities and socio-economic barriers created by colonialism.
AU Resolution Seeks Legal Clarity
While international law condemns apartheid and the seizure of territory by force, colonialism itself is not classified as a crime against humanity. AU officials argue that this legal gap has allowed former colonial powers to evade accountability for systemic abuses, forced labour, mass killings, and resource exploitation spanning more than a century.
Delegates stressed that a modern legal framework is essential to support restitution — whether through financial reparations, official apologies, or the return of cultural artefacts. Without such recognition, restitution remains inconsistent and discretionary.
Economic and Cultural Impact
Speakers highlighted colonialism’s devastating economic costs, including the extraction of gold, diamonds, and rubber, the destruction of indigenous governance systems, and the marginalisation of communities whose livelihoods were dismantled. The conference also emphasised the urgent need to reclaim Africa’s looted heritage, much of which remains in European museums and private collections.
Algeria’s Symbolic Role
Algeria’s hosting carries deep symbolic weight, having endured one of Africa’s most violent colonial occupations, culminating in a brutal war of independence in the 1950s and 1960s. Attaf described Algeria’s experience as a “rare model” in the history of colonisation, reflecting extreme violence, displacement, and cultural suppression.
The government also highlighted Western Sahara, which Algeria views as Africa’s last colony, arguing that unresolved struggles for self-determination demonstrate that decolonisation remains incomplete.
The Path to Restitution
Delegates stressed that reparations must go beyond symbolism, citing cultural treasures like the sixteenth-century Algerian cannon Baba Merzoug, still held in Brest, France. Calls were made for mechanisms allowing African states to reclaim property seized during colonial rule.
The Algiers summit represents the most coordinated AU-backed push yet to transform historical grievances into actionable international policy. Officials emphasised that without recognition, restitution, and the return of stolen heritage, Africa cannot fully close the chapter on colonial-era injustices.