Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune launched a strong critique Sunday against France over the lingering effects of its colonial rule on his country.
Tebboune said Algeria demands that France acknowledge its crimes committed during the colonial period from 1830-1962, emphasizing that the country seeks no material compensation, Anadolu Agency reported.
“We are pursuing the dignity of our ancestors,” he said.
“The number of Algerian martyrs throughout the 132 years of colonization is 5.6 million, and no amount of money can compensate for the loss of even one martyr during the resistance or armed struggle,” he stressed.
The remarks came amid a severe political crisis between Algeria and France, which led to the withdrawal of Algeria’s ambassador and the summoning of the French ambassador.
Algerian authorities attributed this escalation to “hostile acts committed by French foreign intelligence on Algerian soil.”
Tebboune also recalled the atrocities committed by the French colonial army, particularly under General Thomas Robert Bugeaud, governor-general of Algeria from 1841-1847, whom he described as “genocidal.”
He reiterated his commitment to addressing the colonial-era files with France and pointed out that France continues to hold 500 skulls of Algerians who were decapitated in the 19th century and taken to Paris.
“We have only managed to recover 24 skulls so far,” he noted.
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