Algeria’s parliament has unanimously passed a law declaring France’s colonisation of the country a crime, escalating tensions between the two nations and renewing demands for an official apology and reparations, The Guardian reported. The law formally lists what it describes as the “crimes of French colonisation”, including nuclear tests, extrajudicial killings, “physical and psychological torture” and the “systematic plundering of resources”. It also stated that “full and fair compensation for all material and moral damages caused by French colonisation is an inalienable right of the Algerian state and people”. Algeria says the conflict killed 1.5 million people, while French historians estimate a total death toll of about 500,000, including 400,000 Algerians. French President Emmanuel Macron has previously described the colonisation of Algeria as a “crime against humanity” but has stopped short of issuing a formal apology.

Source: Punch December 24, 2025 20:51 UTC