Algeria has taken a historic step by passing legislation that formally declares France’s colonisation of the country a crime. The vote was unanimous in the Algerian parliament, with lawmakers chanting “Long live Algeria” while draped in national colors during the approval on Wednesday.

The new law demands an official apology from Paris and reparations for the colonial past, aiming to hold France accountable for the human, economic, and environmental toll of its rule over Algeria.

“Algeria’s national memory is neither erasable nor negotiable,” Parliament Speaker Ibrahim Boughali said, emphasizing the symbolic and political weight of the law.

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Key Provisions of the Law

The legislation places historical accountability at the center of Algeria’s legal framework and catalogs multiple crimes committed during French colonial rule, including:

• Nuclear tests conducted on Algerian soil
• Extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances
• Physical and psychological torture
• Systematic plundering of resources

The law also asserts 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.”

While the law carries no enforceable weight internationally, analysts note its political and symbolic significance, signaling a rupture in Algeria’s engagement with France over colonial memory.

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Historical Context: French Colonial Rule

France ruled Algeria from 1830 to 1962 in a system marked by severe oppression, including:

• Mass killings and massacres
• Economic exploitation and marginalization of the indigenous Muslim population
• Large-scale deportations and social exclusion

The war of independence (1954–1962) alone resulted in staggering human losses, with Algeria estimating 1.5 million deaths.

Despite acknowledging past atrocities, French President Emmanuel Macron has declined to issue a formal apology. In 2023, he reiterated that:

“It’s not up to me to ask forgiveness,”

although he has referred to the colonisation as a crime against humanity.

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France’s Reaction and Diplomatic Tensions

The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs chose not to comment on the parliamentary vote, with spokesperson Pascal Confavreux stating that Paris will not engage in “political debates taking place in foreign countries.”

Colonial history expert Hosni Kitouni of the University of Exeter emphasized the law’s symbolic importance, noting that while it has no binding effect on France, it marks a significant shift in Algeria-France relations regarding memory and historical accountability.

The vote comes amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries:

• France’s recognition of Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara in July 2024 angered Algeria.
• Algeria supports the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination and the Polisario Front, which rejects Morocco’s autonomy proposal.
• Diplomatic strains worsened in April 2025 after an Algerian diplomat and two nationals were arrested in Paris, just weeks after Macron and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had expressed commitment to revive dialogue.

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Significance of the Law

While symbolic, the legislation sends a powerful message both domestically and internationally:

• Algeria asserts ownership of its historical narrative and refuses to allow foreign powers to dictate memory or justice.
• It underscores demands for reparations and accountability from France for over a century of colonial rule.
• The law reflects broader frictions in Algeria-France relations, influenced by geopolitics, post-colonial legacies, and regional disputes like Western Sahara.